The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has extended the Areawide Air Pollution Action Day through Monday as wildfire smoke from Canada continues to affect air quality throughout Illinois.
An EPA alert said particulate pollution is forecast to reach or exceed the “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” category in all or nearly all Illinois Air Quality Index forecast sectors Monday.
“For the rest of today and into tomorrow areas both inside and outside of the Action Day coverage area may experience smoke to a varying degree and duration,” said Kim Biggs, public information officer with Illinois EPA.
Residents should check the NowCast AQI to monitor air quality conditions to identify periods of poor and cleaner air quality throughout the day regardless of the level of the daily forecasted Air Quality Index, Biggs said, adding, “This will also be a helpful tip on Monday anywhere in Illinois as smoke levels are likely to significantly decrease over Illinois progressively from southwest to northeast from around midday through the evening hours.”
An air quality alert remains in effect through Monday, the National Weather Service said Sunday.
Meteorologist Gino Izzi said visibility has improved considerably since Thursday, when Chicago experienced its worst air quality, and Friday morning, when smoke was much thicker near the surface.
“Meteorologically, the visibility is what’s most impacted by the smoke,” Izzi said. “The thickness of the smoke near the surface is much less today than it was early last week,” he said.
Izzi said stronger southwest winds are expected to develop Monday afternoon and should push any remaining smoke north and east of the Chicago area.
“If there is smoke, it should likely decrease during the afternoon,” Izzi said about Monday’s outlook.
Conditions later in the week are less certain.
Izzi said smoke could potentially return to Chicago on Tuesday night into Wednesday if there are still wildfires burning to the north and a reservoir of smoke remains, though he emphasized that forecast remains highly uncertain.
“Trying to predict how much fire and how much smoke there’s going to be four or five days out is pretty hard to do,” Izzi said.
Cooler and less humid conditions are expected by the end of the week, according to the weather service.
Despite the lingering smoke, many attractions in the city and nearby suburbs were operating normally Sunday, while some made adjustments and continued to monitor air quality conditions.
The Chicago Park District listed beaches as open Sunday on its website but displayed a banner at the top of the page alerting the public that the Illinois EPA had declared an Air Pollution Action Day for the Chicago metro area and that Air Quality Index levels were in the orange category, which may be unhealthy for sensitive groups.
Six Flags Great America and Hurricane Harbor in north suburban Gurnee were operating as usual Sunday.
The Morton Arboretum in west suburban Lisle remained open but canceled outdoor volunteer activities while continuing to monitor air quality conditions, spokesperson Ellyn Fortino said.
Chicago Architecture Center river cruises were also operating as usual. Spokesman Rob Walton said patrons aboard First Lady boats have access to air-conditioned cabins with filtered air.
At the Chicago Botanic Garden in north suburban Glencoe, classes scheduled onsite Sunday were held indoors, while tours and other outdoor offerings continued as usual, spokesperson Erin Benassi said.
Navy Pier said Sunday afternoon that regular programming would proceed as planned but that it would continue to assess conditions throughout the day.
“Navy Pier is continuing to monitor the air quality to ensure the safety and comfort of our guests and dedicated staff,” the pier said in an emailed statement.
Air quality can affect both visitors and animals at the Lincoln Park Zoo, though the zoo remained open on Sunday.
Depending on air quality conditions, spokesperson Anna Cieslik said care teams evaluate whether any animals might experience respiratory issues or otherwise be affected by the smoke.
Animals with outdoor habitats always have access to indoor spaces, and some have chosen to go inside during the recent smoke, she said.
Care teams also adjust animals’ enrichment and feeding strategies to avoid strenuous activity during air quality alerts.
“No animal is being strictly kept inside right now. That’s a call we only like to make in the most extreme situations because it can have an outweighed negative impact on their welfare,” Cieslik said. “But with the air quality we’ve been having lately, some animals are going inside on their own.”
Smoke also affected events around the Chicago area over the weekend.
When Paul Simon came to the stage Saturday night at Ravinia in Highland Park, the singer told the audience he was changing the order of his set because the air quality was getting worse and he was going to perform older songs first in case people needed to leave.
Ravinia said Sunday afternoon that performances by the Steans Institute and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra would proceed as scheduled, while encouraging guests to monitor air quality reports and determine their own comfort level with attending.
Contributing: Lynn Sweet