October 31, 2024
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Smog settles around DeKalb with more bad air quality on the way

By Shaw Local News Network
A DeKalb water tower is lost in the haze from the Canadian wildfires Tuesday, June 27, 2023, in DeKalb. Smoke from the fires in Canada has moved south into Illinois causing poor air quality that may be unhealthy especially to those with sensitive respiratory systems.

A DeKalb water tower is lost in the haze from the Canadian wildfires Tuesday, June 27, 2023, in DeKalb. Smoke from the fires in Canada has moved south into Illinois causing poor air quality that may be unhealthy especially to those with sensitive respiratory systems. (Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.com)

DeKALB – Smog settled hazily across the DeKalb area Tuesday, blanketing the county with a sheen of smoke that left visibility low in some places and air quality poor for many, as smoke from wildfires continues to waft south from Canada.

Poor air quality and widespread haze is expected to continue into Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service, which has issued an air quality alert for most of northern Illinois including DeKalb County effective until midnight Wednesday.

Area experts recommend those with health risks limit time outdoors or wear masks to deter exposure to smoke.

Some of the buildings at Northern Illinois University are obscured by the haze from the Canadian wildfires Tuesday, June 27, 2023, in DeKalb. Smoke from the fires in Canada has moved south into Illinois causing poor air quality that may be unhealthy especially to those with sensitive respiratory systems.

Some of the buildings at Northern Illinois University are obscured by the haze from the Canadian wildfires Tuesday, June 27, 2023, in DeKalb. Smoke from the fires in Canada has moved south into Illinois causing poor air quality that may be unhealthy especially to those with sensitive respiratory systems. (Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.com)

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency also has declared the air in the Chicago metropolitan and Rockford regions very unhealthy, especially for those with respiratory health issues and active children or adults. Those with asthma also are encourage to avoid long or intense, prolonged outdoor activities as the air quality alert continues, according to the National Weather Service.

A farmer sprays his crops as he is partially shrouded by smoke from the Canadian wildfires Tuesday, June 27, 2023, in DeKalb. Haze from the fires in Canada has moved south into Illinois causing poor air quality that may be unhealthy especially to those with sensitive respiratory systems.

A farmer sprays his crops as he is partially shrouded by smoke from the Canadian wildfires Tuesday, June 27, 2023, in DeKalb. Haze from the fires in Canada has moved south into Illinois causing poor air quality that may be unhealthy especially to those with sensitive respiratory systems. (Mark Busch - mbusch@shawmedia.com)

According to airnow.gov, people with heart or lung disease also are more severely impacted by poor air quality.

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