Chicago’s air quality was among some of the worst populated cities in the world after Canadian wildfire smoke drifted south to create unhealthy conditions for many people.

The Weather Company, an organization that provides weather data, forecasting, and insights, ranked Chicago as having the ninth-worst air quality globally for cities with a population of over 4 million as of 9 a.m. Thursday.

The poor air quality is due to Canadian wildfire smoke in the region which prompted an air quality alert for the Chicago area Thursday.

“Today is a day to be very cautious about going outside,” said Dr. Brady Scott, a respiratory therapist and professor of cardiopulmonary sciences at Rush University Medical Center.

People with respiratory conditions, such as asthma, have to be particularly careful

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