Unhealthy Air Quality Prompts Pollution Alert For Evanston

EVANSTON, IL — The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has issued an air pollution action day for the greater Chicago metropolitan area, including Evanston and Cook County, due to Canadian wildfire smoke.

According to the National Weather Service, the alert will be in effect until Tuesday night.

"Active children and adults, especially people with pulmonary or respiratory disease such as asthma, should limit prolonged outdoor activity," the National Weather Service said in a statement.

An Air Quality Alert is in effect through Tuesday evening for the Chicago metro area in Illinois and in northwest Indiana due to unhealthy ozone levels and some lingering effects of Canadian wildfire smoke. #ILwx #INwx pic.twitter.com/CZMLcM9Jc0
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) July 14, 2025

An air pollution action day is declared when weather conditions are such that widespread ozone and or particular levels are expected to be unhealthy for sensitive groups. According to the weather service, officials are primarily concerned about ozone at this time.

Ozone in the air can be harmful, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. People most at risk from breathing air containing ozone include people with asthma, children, older adults, and people who are active outdoors, especially outdoor workers.

Depending on the level of exposure, ozone can:

• cause coughing and sore throats;
• make it more difficult to breathe deeply and cause pain while taking a deep breath;
• inflame and damage airways;
• make lungs more susceptible to infection;
• aggravate lung disease such as asthma, emphysema and chronic bronchitis;
• and increase the frequency of asthma attacks.

Officials urged Chicagoland residents to do what they can to reduce pollution levels. Air quality forecasts, current air quality and tips on how you can reduce your emissions can be found at AirNow.gov.