Air quality alert for Chicago, Day 2, as wildfire smoke from Canada shuts down beaches, venues

Thick, acrid smoke still blanketed the Chicago area Friday, prompting closings and cancellations in the city and suburbs.

An air quality alert is in effect through midnight Friday, though forecasters said the smoke could linger into early Saturday.

Chicago’s Air Quality Index hovered around “unhealthy” by 2 p.m. Friday — down from “hazardous,” the most severe level for airborne pollutants, but still dangerous for most people.

“It looks like air quality should gradually improve as that smoke pushes off to the northeast,” said Zachary Yack, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. “The only caveat is it’s a little unclear how fast things actually improve.”

Citing the air quality, all Chicago beaches and outdoor pools were closed until further notice, the Chicago Park District said. The Osaka Garden, the Garfield Park Conservatory and the Lincoln Park Conservatory also are closed for the day, while all outdoor park district programs were moved indoors. The Chicago Architecture Center was among other attractions also closed for the day.

Beaches in Evanston were closed for the day, and all non-urgent, non-public-safety-related outdoor work activities were paused, including recycling collections in the north suburb. Evanston summer camps were moved indoors, and all camps that couldn’t be relocated were canceled. The Morton Arboretum in Lisle also was closed to the public.

Organizers for some events in the area were waiting to make final decisions about whether to cancel. The Ravinia Festival in Highland Park, which launched its outdoor concert series last weekend with a $70 million renovation, was “closely monitoring air quality” in advance of tonight’s scheduled 8 p.m. Paul Simon performance.

Ravinia planned to go ahead with Friday’s Steans Institute Chamber Music concert, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. inside Bennett Gordon Hall, closing it to the public but making the show available to stream on Ravinia’s YouTube channel.

The Lakeview Roscoe Village Chamber of Commerce said it was “closely monitoring” air quality ahead of the Roscoe Village Burger Fest, which was scheduled to kick off at 5 p.m.

Yack said that, as winds begin to push the smoke out of the area, it still could linger near Lake Michigan before fully heading northeast.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency projects that air quality Saturday will be moderate — the second-least severe reading on the Air Quality Index scale.

While there is a chance smoke could return Saturday afternoon, Yack said conditions won’t be as severe.

“It probably wouldn’t be as intense as this last bout has been,” Yack said.

Contributing: Cassie Walker Burke