Wildfire smoke timeline: Here's when Chicago should be free of hazardous air

CHICAGO - Smoke continues to be a problem for all of Chicagoland this morning. 

"Hazardous" conditions are in play with the air quality index in excess of 500, which is essentially off the chart. There are a few spotty showers in McHenry County as of this morning.

As of 6 a.m., Chicago reported the second-worst air quality in the world with an Air Quality Index of 404. The only city with more polluted air was Detroit.

Wildfire smoke timeline

What to expect:

The smoke will retreat to the northeast during the afternoon as winds shift. There will be a few showers and thunderstorms developing during the afternoon, but widespread soaking rainfall is unlikely. 

Don’t get too excited about the retreat of the smoke. All indications point to a return of smoke by tomorrow evening. It is uncertain how thick that smoke will be, but I suspect air quality issues will once again resurface. 

Highs today will be close to 90 for a fifth consecutive day. We will likely hit 90 again tomorrow as well with partly sunny skies. A line of thunderstorms is expected to develop late in the day which would favor areas south of Interstate 80. 

After those showers move out, it is highly likely that the smoke will move back in from the north. 

Sunday could be smoky with highs in the mid 80s. It is impossible to gauge the residence time of that smoke, but I would expect that it would go away with the approach of the next cold front late Monday. That would also spark a few isolated showers and thunderstorms again. 

Monday’s highs would be in the upper 80s with low to mid 80s on Tuesday as we transition to a more tranquil weather pattern.

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