Illinois faced an increasingly bad week of air quality heading into the holiday weekend as smoke is being blown into the state from Canadian wildfires. State officials issued an air quality alert for much of the week, as conditions were between “unhealthy” and “very unhealthy” levels for most of the state. These levels are the third and fourth of a five-level scale but have since lowered as weather conditions work to improve air quality.

Officials have warned that those at risk of or with respiratory issues to take caution when determining to spend time outdoors. Furthermore, even those not at risk should steer away from extended outside exercise when conditions are poor. To check current air quality data, and the future outlook, visit AirNow.