Chicago's air quality has improved, but experts caution ongoing wildfires, wind can change conditions

The air quality in Chicago has improved after days of unhealthy conditions due to smoke from Canadian wildfires — but the area isn’t entirely out of the woods. As nearly 900 wildfires continue to burn throughout Canada, experts say the fires and weather patterns like wind direction may change the local air quality going forward. "Based on the wildfire episodes our city has experienced in the summers of 2023, 2025, and this year, residents should expect periods of changing air quality,…