Editor's Note: Our updated story for Tuesday can be found here. Our original story continues below.
Chicago-area residents are already set to deal with oppressive heat and humidity in coming days, but poor air quality could also pose a concern as that heat wave begins.
According to the National Weather Service, an air quality action day was declared for Indiana, and an air pollution action day was declared for Illinois through at least midnight on Tuesday night.
Those alerts were issued as a result of wildfire smoke entering the area from western Canada, but another point of concern is particulate matter, which will be exacerbated by homes and businesses using air conditioning units because of the impending heat wave, which will arrive in earnest on Tuesday.
Residents with respiratory issues, or younger residents, are being urged to limit outdoor activities on Tuesday, and other residents are being urged to choose less-strenuous activities, and to shorten the amount of time that they are active in the outdoors.
That smoke is already impacting the area, with Chicago’s Air Quality Index at a 153, considered to be an “unhealthy” level, according to officials.
Similar conditions are expected on Tuesday before the smoke begins to clear around midweek.
Those air quality concerns will coincide with the arrival of hot and humid conditions this week, with heat indices approaching 100 degrees through at least Friday.
High temperatures beginning Tuesday will likely soar into the low-90s, and that pattern will continue through the remainder of the work week, with highs approaching 95 degrees by Wednesday and Thursday.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter here.
Wednesday could also potentially see a threat for severe weather throughout the Chicago area and most of Illinois and Indiana, with the Storm Prediction Center currently putting the region at a “slight” risk of severe storms.
The main threats will likely be gusty winds, but large hail cannot be ruled out, according to officials.
Highs will likely remain above 90 degrees on Friday, but there is a chance of storms that could help to provide at least a bit of relief from the heat.
That chance of thunderstorms exists again on Saturday, and high temperatures and humidity are expected to begin to drop by Sunday.
