F-cking Canadians!

Would it be too much to ask those Labatt drinking Dudley Do-Rights to put out their own fires? Every year the same shit. Pretty fricken annoying. No, I can't go out and ride my bike today. Not cool Canada!

BTW: We hit an airquality index of 475 this afternoon. Pretty fricken impressive. A little context on that after the story (below). Breaking news....we just hit 718! Woooo

Canadian Wildfire Smoke Blankets U.S. Northeast and Midwest

Conditions are set to worsen in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia, forecasters said

By Alyssa Lukpat, WSJ

Updated July 16, 2026

Wildfire smoke from Canada is shrouding the Northeast and Midwest, harming air quality during a summer heat wave.

Wildfire smoke from Canada is shrouding the Northeast and the Midwest, harming the air quality during a summer heat wave.

Winds swept smoke from the north, where the Canadian government reported more than 100 uncontrolled wildfires. Swaths of the Northeast and Midwest were under air quality alerts Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

The smoke made the skies hazy in affected areas on Thursday, compounding a heat wave. The air quality was unhealthy in parts of the Northeast and the Great Lakes, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA suggested people, especially children and the elderly, shorten how long they spend outside.

The EPA said the biggest health threat from smoke is fine particles that can be inhaled or enter people’s eyes. The particles can cause burning eyes or runny noses. Healthy people are not usually at a major risk from short-term exposure to smoke, the EPA said.

Authorities ordered evacuations in parts of northern Minnesota near a cluster of Canadian wildfires. New York City opened hundreds of cooling centers and was distributing masks to curb smoke inhalation.

Forecasters said the densest plume of smoke should move south over the Mid-Atlantic, and more fumes could appear Thursday night. The hazy air could clear up by Friday, meteorologists said, but it was too early to determine the weekend outlook. New Jersey is preparing to host the World Cup final on Sunday in an outdoor stadium.

Claude AI: An AQI of 408 is in the Hazardous category — the worst tier on the EPA's 6-level scale (0-500), and close to the top of it. For context on the scale:

• 0–50: Good

• 51–100: Moderate

• 101–150: Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups

• 151–200: Unhealthy

• 201–300: Very Unhealthy

• 301–500: Hazardous

At 408, everyone — not just sensitive groups — is at risk of health effects. The EPA's guidance for this range: avoid all outdoor physical activity, keep windows closed, run air purifiers/HVAC on recirculate, and wear a well-fitted N95 if you must go outside. People with asthma, COPD, heart disease, older adults, kids, and pregnant people are at the highest risk and should stay indoors as much as possible.

By historical standards, this is genuinely extreme for the Chicago area. Chicago's air quality crossed into the hazardous category Thursday as Canadian wildfire smoke settled over the region, and the Northbrook monitoring station — close to you — recorded an AQI of 395 around midday, with CBS Chicago's research finding it's the worst air quality the area has seen since regulatory monitoring began nearly 30 years ago. So 408 in Arlington Heights fits right in with what's being reported as a once-in-a-generation smoke event for the region, not a routine bad-air day. The Illinois EPA has issued an Air Pollution Action Day and the National Weather Service has an Air Quality Alert in effect for nearly the entire Chicago area through this evening. CBS News + 2

Practical takeaway for today: treat it like a wildfire-smoke emergency — stay inside, keep the house sealed up, and if you have a HEPA purifier, run it. This should ease as the smoke plume moves through, but it's worth checking the alert status again this evening before making outdoor plans.