A dusty haze was visible Sunday morning as air quality index reached unhealthy levels in Bloomington-Normal.
The National Weather Service [NWS] had issued an air quality alert for much of Central and East Central Illinois expected to last through Sunday. The agency on Sunday evening extended the alert through midnight Monday night.
Large portions of the region are affected, stretching from Knox County through Peoria, Bloomington-Normal and Champaign-Urbana to communities as far south as Lawrence and Richland Counties.
Canadian wildfire smoke has caused air pollution to spread across much of the northern U.S., including Northern Illinois. The NWS said wildfire smoke has now spread into Central and Southern Illinois, causing air quality to reach dangerous levels that is particularly unhealthy for sensitive groups such as children, seniors, pregnant women and those with chronic conditions affecting the heart or lungs such as asthma, heart disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The Normal nonprofit Ecology Action Center [EAC], which operates air quality monitors in the Twin Cities, said the air quality index in Fairview Park was 276 on Sunday morning. Readings above 200 are considered "very unhealthy," and may negatively impact all populations, not just sensitive groups.
The NWS recommends reducing long or intense outdoor activities and advises taking breaks. EAC, however, recommends avoiding outdoors altogether. If residents must go outdoors, EAC said in a social media post, an N-95 mask is recommended. Surgical or cloth masks do not provide protection against particulate matter in air pollution.
A noon protest organized by the Bloomington-Normal 50501 group was canceled due to the conditions, as was the Sunday evening performance at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival.
