US air quality map: Chicago, Detroit, DC among cities impacted by Canadian wildfire smoke
Poor air quality is expected to persist Thursday as the smoke continues to spread south.
According to the National Weather Service, "wildfire smoke from Canada will reduce air quality over parts of the Upper/Middle Mississippi Valley, Great Lakes, Western Ohio Valley, Central Appalachians, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic, prompting Air Quality Warnings over the area."
As of Thursday morning, Chicago, Detroit and Washington, D.C. were ranked as the three cities with the worst air quality in the world, according to IQ Air's Air Quality Index.
Canada has over 250 blazes burning “out of control,” according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, marking the nation's most severe fire season on record.
Live updates: Washington, Chicago, Detroit have some of the worst air quality in the world
Health experts advise Americans under air quality advisories to stay indoors with air conditioning or to wear N95 masks outside.
As of Thursday morning, cities such as Chicago, Columbus, Pittsburgh and Indianapolis were in the "very unhealthy" category, according to tracker AirNow.gov.
Thursday weather forecast: 80 million in South under heat alerts as air-quality concerns linger in Midwest
US air quality map
US wildfire, smoke map
Chicago air quality map
Detroit air quality map
Pittsburgh air quality map
Philadelphia air quality map
Charlotte air quality map
Columbus air quality map
Cincinnati air quality map
Cleveland, Akron air quality map
Washington, D.C. air quality map
Milwaukee air quality map
Madison air quality map
Indianapolis air quality map
Louisville air quality map
Baltimore air quality map
Contributing: Doyle Rice and Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Air quality index today: Maps of Chicago, Pittsburgh, Detroit, DC, US
