Smoke from Canadian wildfires begins clearing out of suburbs as winds shift, rain arrives

Chicago began Friday much like it ended Thursday, with the worst air quality in the world.

However, shifting winds and a mid-afternoon thunderstorm helped push smoke and dangerous particulate matter from Canadian and Minnesota wildfires to the northeast.

But the reprieve may be short-lived.

“It’s kind of tricky because we don’t forecast that,” said Gino Izzo, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Romeoville bureau. “What I can tell you is that we had southwest winds move in today and blow some of that smoke out, but we’ve got a cold front coming in (Saturday) with winds in the opposite direction that could potentially bring the smoke right back behind it.”

Air quality recording stations in Chicago and throughout the suburbs still showed unhealthy levels of pollution from the fires lingering in the air, but registering significantly lower than the record-breaking levels the area saw Thursday.

The elevated pollution levels still affected outdoor activities throughout the region. Six Flags Great America closed both the amusement and water parks all day Friday. Among other suburban closures were the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe and several beaches. Suburban summer camp operators made adjustments to limit outside exposure, and some suburban events and openings were delayed.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency also maintained an air quality alert for the entire day as air quality ratings dropped from “hazardous” levels to “unhealthy” by late afternoon, according to air quality monitoring website AirNow.com.

Storms moved into the area at about 2 p.m. and helped clear smoke and eliminate particles lingering in the haze. More storms are expected through the weekend, which will also help eliminate pollutants.

Air quality Saturday for the area is forecast to remain unhealthy for sensitive groups, with pollution levels above 100 throughout the region. Healthy levels are below 50. More smoke plumes could blow into the area Saturday evening, according to forecast models.

Through early Sunday, around 109 million people are forecast to be affected by unhealthy air quality or worse across the U.S.

President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to impose tariffs on Canada in retaliation for the wildfire smoke, but it was not clear he has the legal authority to impose such a levy.

“We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their Forests, and Brush therein, and the United States is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable!” he wrote on Truth Social.

In New York City, residents woke up to brighter skies and fresher air Friday after winds shifted the smoke farther south following two suffocating days of poor air quality. But New York officials urged residents to remain on guard in case winds shift again later in the day.

Farther west, the smoke was particularly intense Friday around Pittsburgh, where the city’s skyline was obscured and local officials told residents to remain indoors. The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh said conditions were dangerous even for motorists due to concern that smoke could mix with moisture in river valleys to create “super fog.”

Thick smoke coverage early Saturday across the Mid-Atlantic is expected to gradually decrease throughout the day. That exiting smoke is forecast to blow back into the Northeast and New England.

A storm system approaching from the west will bring rain and possible strong-to-severe thunderstorms to these regions on Saturday, which will interact with the smoke.

Across Canada, 194 out-of-control and large fires were burning as of late Thursday. So far this year, nearly 6 million acres have burned there. In 2023, when apocalyptic smoke reached the Northeast, more than four times that amount of land area had already burned in Canada.

The Washington Post contributed to this report.