Map: Milwaukee County air quality reaches worst-ever level

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee County's air quality officially reached its worst-ever level on Thursday as wildfire smoke from Canada and Minnesota blanketed the area.

What is AQI?

What we know:

According to AirNow.gov, the U.S. Air Quality Index – or AQI – is the Environmental Protection Agency's tool to communicate outdoor air quality and health. It uses a color-coded system to rank levels of pollution and health concern, with an AQI over 300 being the most hazardous conditions.

LIVE UPDATES: Wisconsin air quality, wildfire smoke blankets region

When the AQI is over 300, everyone's health could be impacted due to air quality.

What is Milwaukee County's AQI?

By the numbers:

Milwaukee County's AQI reached its highest-ever level on Thursday. It rose to 644 at around 12:30 p.m.

For context, the AQI when wildfire smoke reached the Milwaukee area in 2023 hit 250. Other events brought the AQI up to 150 in 2024 and 175 in 2025.

The highest AQI the county had previously recorded was 300 on June 18, 1987.

Map: Current air quality in Milwaukee area

Local perspective:

This interactive map from AirNow.gov shows the current air quality in the Milwaukee area. Zoom in and out to see the index in other areas.

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