CHICAGO — Air quality in the Chicago area should improve throughout the day Wednesday and later this week, according to forecasts.

The city and surrounding suburbs have had poor air quality in recent days due to high ozone levels and an influx of smoke from Canadian wildfires — a recurring issue in recent years that’s led to smoky skies.

As of 11 a.m. Wednesday, Chicago’s air quality was in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” category, with an air quality index reading of 117 — down from 142 at 8 a.m., according to AirNow.

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has issued an air quality alert for the Chicago area, which is active through midnight Thursday.

“Ozone is expected to be the primary pollutant of concern, but wildfire smoke is also lingering in the region,” according to

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