What is AQI, and how to find yours in the Chicago area NBC Chicago [Video]

As Canadian wildfire smoke returns to the Chicago area, an air quality alert has been issued for most of the region.

The Air Pollution Action Day was issued by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and will be in effect Thursday in McHenry, Lake, Kane, DuPage, Kendall, Grundy, Cook and Will counties.

Some parts of the Chicago area are already seeing elevated air pollutant levels, and the expectation is that will continue as smoke will return after being briefly held at bay by rain in the region.

So what triggers the alerts? What is the Air Quality Index? Most importantly, how can you find your up-to-date AQI? Here’s what you need to know.

According to officials, the AQI is used by the Environmental Protection Agency to communicate to the public air quality levels, and how they can impact day-to-day life.

There are six different levels of air quality, and they’re all color-coded to …