Crime & Safety
NWS Issues Air-Quality Alert for Kane County—Due to Huge Minnesota Wild Fire
Smoke likely will persist into the afternoon and evening hours Tuesday.
The National Weather Service for our neck of the woods has issued a Special Weather Statement, warning of air-quality issues here in Kane County due to the "large wild fire over northeast Minnesota."
"ALTHOUGH THE FIRE IS MORE THAN 400 MILES NORTHWEST OF THE AREA ...THE COMBINATION OF SINKING AIR AND NORTHERLY WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT HAS TRANSPORTED SMOKE ALL THE WAY INTO NORTHERN ILLINOIS," the NWS says.
"THE SMOKE WILL LIKELY PERSIST THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS ... BEFORE WINDS BECOME MORE WESTERLY IN ADVANCE OF ANOTHER COLD FRONT."
Find out what's happening in Genevawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
The affected area includes all of Northern Illinois, but Kane is mentioned specifically, and the cities of Batavia, Geneva and more have sent an e-mail warning residents of an air-quality alert.
Here's more from the NWS statement:
Find out what's happening in Genevawith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"SMOKE WILL LIKELY CONTINUE TO SPREAD TO THE SOUTHEAST ACROSS MUCH OF NORTHEAST ILLINOIS AND NORTHWEST INDIANA THROUGH THIS EVENING.
"EXPECT HAZY SKIES AND A DISTINCT BURNING ODOR. THE LAKE COUNTY ILLINOIS EMERGENCY MANAGER REPORTS THAT SMOKE IS PREVALENT ENOUGH TO CAUSE PEOPLE TO REPORT DIFFICULTY BREATHING AND BURNING OF THEIR EYES. INDIVIDUALS WITH RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS SHOULD USE CAUTION WHILE SMOKE AFFECTS THE AREA."
