Illinois Air Quality Deteriorates Once Again Due To Wildfires

Things are about to get hazy again.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency says that smoke from the Canadian wildfires is set to make yet another appearance in the Midwest this week.

An Air Quality Alert has been issued by the IEPA who is warning Illinois residents to be careful when heading outdoors.

This is the second round of poor air endured by the Midwest after wildfire smoke traveled down from Canada. Similar conditions affected the region late last month.

A meteorologist from KOMU in Columbia, Missouri was reporting Saturday night that the wildfire smoke has already dipped down into his state leading to a smokey smell in the air.

A timeline from CNN has the smoke moving southeast out of the Dakotas and Minnesota on Saturday. Illinois, Iowa and Michigan will likely begin to notice a difference in air quality on Sunday.

According to the Illinois Department of Health, "breathing wildfire smoke can have immediate health impacts including respiratory and cardiovascular effects."

The department says those at highest risk include young children, older adults and those with chronic respiratory or cardiovascular disease.

The Midwest's previous bout with wildfire smoke from Canada led to major concerns throughout the area.

ABC 7 reported Chicago as having the worst air quality among major cities in the world on June 27.

According to CNN, more than 1,000 wildfires have started in British Columbia since April damaging land at a rapid pace.