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Should you cancel your weekend plans? What meteorologists say about wildfire smoke
Дата публикации: 17-07-2026 17:01:43
A heavy blanket of wildfire smoke covering northeast Illinois began letting up a bit as Friday progressed, but what will the weekend look like?
Air quality improved over the day on Friday as the smoke moved out of the area, leading to the re-opening of some events and locations that had shut down due to the hazardous air quality levels — including Chicago’s beaches and outdoor pools.
That said, an air quality alert remains active through Saturday night for much of the Chicago area and could even be extended yet again.
“The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has determined that the ‘Air Pollution Action Day’ designation will remain in effect for the greater Chicago Metropolitan Area through Saturday night July 18th,” the alert states. “Additionally, the ongoing ‘Purple Forecast Air Pollution Action Day’ designation also remains in effect until midnight tonight.”
Here’s a look at how smoky the area is expected to be throughout the weekend:
Friday Evening
Light smoke will linger “but it’s not going to be anything like what we’ve been dealing with,” said NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Iisha Scott.
Air quality was expected to move up into the “unhealthy” or red category, which ranks as level three of six, by Friday afternoon. That’s an improvement compared to Thursday and the morning’s conditions in the “hazardous” category, which ranks as level six.
Scattered showers and storms with heavy downpours at times were also possible Friday afternoon and evening. Those showers, expected to peak between 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. could provide temporary relief from the wildfire smoke, but smoky skies are expected to return once it ends and what many refer to as “dirty rain” is likely to be left behind on cars and homes.
“A heavy prolonged rain and a shift in winds, especially a wind shift, change in wind direction, will be the best to remove smoke from the air,” according to NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Alicia Roman.
Saturday
Air quality is expected to have improved even more by Saturday morning, moving into the “moderate” category — a level two ranking — as the smoke will be mostly out of the area, according to Scott.
“Your Saturday morning plans are good, no smoke around,” she said.
The light to moderate smoke is likely to return on Saturday afternoon and into the evening as winds shift out of the north, Scott said, likely moving in around 8 or 9 p.m.
A second round of storms is also expected to hit on Saturday, primarily south of Interstate 88.
“So some of those storms on Saturday could be strong, possibly severe,” Scott said. “One out of five risk for the majority of our viewing area. As you head farther south, a slightly higher risk for severe storms, with the main threats being damaging wind gusts and also heavy rain that could certainly lead to some localized flooding.”
Sunday
The smoke that moved back in on Saturday could be dense even as we head into Sunday morning, according to Scott.
Plus, there’s change of the smoke “possibly becoming even thicker” as the day goes on, Scott said.
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A heavy blanket of wildfire smoke covering northeast Illinois began letting up a bit as Friday progressed, but what will the weekend look like?
Air quality improved over the day on Friday as the smoke moved out of the area, leading to the re-opening of some events and locations that had shut down due to the hazardous air quality levels -- including Chicago's beaches and outdoor pools.
That said, an air quality alert remains active through Saturday night for much of the Chicago area and could even be extended yet again.
"The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency has determined that the 'Air Pollution Action Day' designation will remain in effect for the greater Chicago Metropolitan Area through Saturday night July 18th," the alert states. "Additionally, the ongoing 'Purple Forecast Air Pollution Action Day' designation also remains in effect until midnight tonight."
Smoky conditions this morning should ease by the afternoon as scattered thunderstorms develop across the area. Another round of storms is expected tomorrow, primarily south of Interstate 88. Wildfire smoke may return tomorrow evening and continue into Sunday. pic.twitter.com/z75iw36uBb
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) July 17, 2026
Here's a look at how smoky the area is expected to be throughout the weekend:
Friday Evening
Local
Light smoke will linger "but it's not going to be anything like what we've been dealing with," said NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Iisha Scott.
Air quality was expected to move up into the "unhealthy" or red category, which ranks as level three of six, by Friday afternoon. That's an improvement compared to Thursday and the morning's conditions in the "hazardous" category, which ranks as level six.
Scattered showers and storms with heavy downpours at times were also possible Friday afternoon and evening. Those showers, expected to peak between 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. could provide temporary relief from the wildfire smoke, but smoky skies are expected to return once it ends and what many refer to as "dirty rain" is likely to be left behind on cars and homes.
"A heavy prolonged rain and a shift in winds, especially a wind shift, change in wind direction, will be the best to remove smoke from the air," according to NBC 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Alicia Roman.
An hour-by-hour look at when the smoke will clear -- and potentially come back -- to the Chicago area.
SaturdayAir quality is expected to have improved even more by Saturday morning, moving into the "moderate" category -- a level two ranking -- as the smoke will be mostly out of the area, according to Scott.
"Your Saturday morning plans are good, no smoke around," she said.
The light to moderate smoke is likely to return on Saturday afternoon and into the evening as winds shift out of the north, Scott said, likely moving in around 8 or 9 p.m.
A second round of storms is also expected to hit on Saturday, primarily south of Interstate 88.
"So some of those storms on Saturday could be strong, possibly severe," Scott said. "One out of five risk for the majority of our viewing area. As you head farther south, a slightly higher risk for severe storms, with the main threats being damaging wind gusts and also heavy rain that could certainly lead to some localized flooding."
SundayThe smoke that moved back in on Saturday could be dense even as we head into Sunday morning, according to Scott.
Plus, there's change of the smoke "possibly becoming even thicker" as the day goes on, Scott said.
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