Air quality still unhealthy for some across northern Illinois

For the first time in what felt like years, Festa Italiana over Boylan Catholic High School went on without any high heat and humidity. 

What was present however was lots of wildfire smoke from fires in Canada and out west. This left our air quality either in the level 3 "unhealthy for some" and at times in the level 4 "unhealthy" category. As of this morning, most of the Stateline is sitting in the "unhealthy for some" category, meaning those with heart and lung issues, older adults, and small children may want to refrain from spending prolonged periods of time outdoors.

When will we see relief? Well, according to the model we use to track wildfire smoke, improvements should slowly filter in over the next 24-36 hours. 

We remain smokey and hazy today, though the thicker wildfire smoke should push east by the time we head into the early stages of Wednesday morning. This will put the AQI (air quality index) back under 100 which is category 2 "moderate" levels.

Slow climb in heat and humidity with isolated rain chances this week

 We have remained comfortable with high temperatures only near 80 degrees as of late, but we will see a gradual change through the week ahead. Day after day may feel similar to the day before, but in aggregate you will notice a change in heat and humidity by the middle to end of the week.

An upper level ridge to the West has been to thank for the comfortable weather locally over the last several days. This ridge will begin to break down through the week ahead, which will feed a warmer air mass our direction through the end of the week. As a result, we will see a slow but steady climb in temperatures and humidity throughout the week.

Dew points have remained below 60° much of the last several days, keeping things very comfortable especially for this time of year. But we will see dew point temperature reach back above 60° and even near 70° at times toward the end of the week. This will be accompanied by a rise in temperatures, with afternoon highs reaching the upper 80s and near 90° starting Wednesday.

The rise in humidity also means a small rise in rain chances. None of the days this week will be a washout--far from it, in fact. Isolated chances for showers and a stray thunderstorm will begin Tuesday, but most days this week will feature only about 20% coverage of rain each day. Later in the week and next weekend may begin to bring slightly higher chances, but even that will only be scattered at best.

Here is an example of what the isolated showers and storms may look like each afternoon through much of the week. Those who see some of the showers and storms may get a quick downpour and couple rumbles of thunder at most, but a large majority of the area will be dry at any given time. Total rainfall will likely not exceed 0.25" for most through at least Friday.

Haze and wildfire smoke may return near the surface on Sunday

 During this cool stretch of weather, we've seen our fair share of wildfire smoke already both at the surface and in the upper levels of our atmosphere. A few days so far have been near hazardous at times especially for those with underlying health conditions. Unfortunately, we may see another plume of wildfire smoke make its way down to the surface today.

Air Quality alerts continue this morning for most of the Upper Great Lake's region including southern Wisconsin while areas to our east including McHenry County continue to be under those alerts. However, most of the state line doesn't match the criteria for these alerts but even without the alerts we will still see reduced air quality today both at the surface and in the upper levels.

Air Quality now is actually a bit better compared to the values we had seen yesterday. The one thing to notice though is the orange/red shades of unhealthier air off to our east today as that will most likely be the source of our smoke later today. Due to a surface high pressure system in place, wildfire smoke from the east will be moving towards the west today due to winds at the surface being out of the east.

The heavier plume of smoke will move in this evening around 6 p.m. with higher quantities that will be noticed both at the surface and in the sky. Although not as significant as Thursday, visibility may drop in some spots with haze likely at the surface which may even bring a smoky smell to the air at times. Towards the afternoon and evening it will be important to once again limit time outdoors especially those with underlying health conditions.

Besides hazy/smoky conditions today it will once again be pleasant temperature wise as we'll stay in the low 80's with sunshine mixing within any haze in the sky!
 


 

Limited rain chances as temperatures climb this week

 We continue to see steady improvement in the air quality from the last couple of days, with most in the Stateline are now under the "moderate" category of air quality as of 7PM Saturday. AQI is a little lower across Michigan and Wisconsin, and some of that may pivot our way tomorrow.

Air quality may take another hit tomorrow as a round of near-surface smoke swings in from the Northeast. This may send air quality back to the "unhealthy" or "unhealthy for sensitive groups" category for parts of Sunday. Hazy sky sticks around through Monday, but air quality should improve a bit again after Sunday.

Aside from the smoke and haze, it has been a pleasant stretch of weather, lacking the humidity from previous weeks. Dew points will remain below 60° into Monday, but will slowly tick up through the week, eventually reaching near 70° again by Wednesday or Thursday.

This slow rise in humidity will be accompanied by a slow rise in rain and storm chances. Most of this week will remain dry, but isolated showers may work their way into the region beginning Tuesday and Wednesday. Coverage will remain near or below 20%, so it will be very hit-or-miss with who does and does not see any rain.

There is a plausible chance some end up dry through much of the week under the very sporadic showers. Weather models show a weak signal for any widespread and meaningful rainfall through at least Thursday. We may begin to see a pattern shift toward next weekend, but rain and storm coverage looks to be very limited through much of the week. In total, most locations will likely see less than 0.25" of rainfall through much of this week.

Saturday morning weather update

 Although it's been a very smokey end to the week, temperatures outside have remained very comfortable after a cold front passed through on Wednesday. Since then, temperatures have been in the mid 70's while a much-needed break from humidity has given very pleasant conditions, besides the continued wildfire smoke.

Air quality continues to remain the main focus this weekend as continued wildfire smoke from Canada pushes in, while another plume of smoke from western fires in New Mexico and Arizona has also been carried by the jet stream towards the Midwest. For those who do have underlying health issues, it will be important once again to limit time outdoors today and through the weekend. However, towards Monday some relief does look possible as our upper-level jet stream pattern begins to slightly shift.

Temperatures through the weekend will begin to gradually climb as well. A large high-pressure system will be centered over the Desert Southwest into next week, however towards Monday and Tuesday our low-level winds will begin to shift out of the south bringing warmer air and humidity in our direction.

 
 Although temperatures and humidity will continue to increase towards the weekend our precipitation chances will still stay limited. During the beginning of the week with the previously mentioned high pressure in place we'll experience a dry stretch due to the upper-level winds in the atmosphere staying to our north and west. However, towards the back half of the week, a few weak disturbances may move in bringing a bit higher chance towards the state line.

Wildfire smoke and comfortable humidity linger into the weekend

 Wildfire smoke and haze has created a milky look to the sky the last couple of days and will continue to bring similar conditions for a couple more. Even though clouds have begun to clear, haze will linger late into the evening.

Air quality has been improved from yesterday but still remains in the "unhealthy for sensitive groups" category as of 6PM Friday. This means those with asthma or other breathing problems should avoid extended time outdoors, and keep windows shut tonight despite the cooler night ahead. For current air quality, visit this link. An air quality alert remains in effect until midnight for Illinois and until 12PM Saturday for Wisconsin.

With expansive high pressure overhead, the smoke will not be able to clear out. High pressure typically means a slower-moving air mass and sinking air, so the smoke and haze will likely stick with us at least to some extent through the weekend.

But the high pressure also means a comfortable air mass. Temperatures will slowly rise, reaching the low 80s by the end of the weekend, but humidity will remain limited during that time. Gradually, as our high pressure system pulls away next week, humidity and rain chances will begin to increase, mainly after Wednesday.

Northern Illinois remains under an air quality alert until midnight tonight

A lot of the Great lakes, including the Stateline, is under an air quality alert this morning. 

The portion that contains the Illinois area runs until midnight tonight whereas the portion that contains our Wisconsin areas runs until noon today. 

There have been slight improvements in air quality levels to the north, though air quality remains quite unhealthy across northern Illinois. Keep tabs on the air quality today if you have any outdoor plans. Those with heart or lung issues, older adults, and children should avoid strenuous outdoor activities and consider moving physical activities indoors. Visibility has also taken a hit this morning, registering in the 4-7 mile range for most locales. 

High pressure aims to shift to our east this weekend, keeping us dry and below seasonable. Afternoon highs will remain in the upper 70s today, then climb to the low 80s Saturday and Sunday.