Thick haze enveloped northern Illinois on Thursday morning, as smoke from wildfires in Canada and Minnesota drifted into the region. The National Weather Service warned that conditions could deteriorate further tonight.
In Chicago, the haze obscured visibility on the West Side, affecting areas such as the Austin neighborhood. Images showed bikers navigating the lakeshore near 31st Street Beach under smoke-filled skies. The skyline along Interstate 290 provided a striking view of the haze settling over the city.
Photographs captured the sun shrouded by haze and clouds, illustrating the intense impact of the incoming wildfire smoke. The CTA “L” Green Line train traversed the Austin neighborhood, cutting through the thick atmospheric conditions.
The dense smoke also rendered the Chicago skyline nearly invisible from three miles north on the Kennedy Expressway, displaying the severity of the situation.
Elsewhere, the boundary waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Ely, Minnesota faced closures and evacuations due to the multiple wildfires, with plumes of smoke hanging over Moose Lake.