LINCOLN, Ill. – We got a couple weeks worth of a break, but Canadian wildfire smoke is back with a vengeance in most of Illinois.
The National Weather Service says most of the state, including the tri-county area but with the exception of Northwest Illinois, is under an Air Quality Alert for the balance of the day Sunday, but forecasters say widespread haze could be in the area through at least midday Monday.
The Illinois Emergency Management Agency says the Air Quality Index is expected to remain low, causing problems for especially sensitive groups for whom smoke-filled air could cause breathing and other problems.
Meteorologists say if it smells like burning plastic to you, it’s because what are called volatile organic compounds are interacting with U-V radiation – hence, a chemical reaction.
Reports say there are still 900 wildfires burning in Canada.
