An Illinois Air Pollution Action Day is declared when weather conditions are such that widespread ozone and or particulate levels are expected to be at or above the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups (USG) category of the Air Quality Index for all or almost all of Illinois.

Air quality alerts issued Thursday in Illinois because of Canadian wildfire smoke marked the latest bout in an increasingly common summer occurrence. The alert covers 34 Illinois counties designated as having unhealthy air for all residents.

National Weather Service officials called an air quality alert in effect until midnight as well as a beach hazard warning.

An air quality alert remains in effect for the entire state of Minnesota on Monday. Smoke from Canadian wildfires prompted the alert, which is set to expire at 9 a.m. Tuesday. The northern half of the state will likely see the worst air quality.

The return of wildfire smoke from fires burning in Canada has sparked another air quality alert in Minnesota, which will be in effect through Tuesday. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has placed the northern two-thirds of the state in the red alert zone,

The red alert, issued by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, means that the air quality is unhealthy for everyone. It will begin at 9 a.m. Sunday and last until 9 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 12, for large portions of the state,

The air in southern and central Minnesota, including Rochester and the Twin Cities, is expected to be unhealthy for sensitive groups.

The Minneapolis Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) issued an air quality alert for all of Minnesota, taking effect at 9 a.m. on Sunday and lasting until 9 a.m. on Tuesday. The air quality is expected to reach the red level in the AQI category,