Though wildfire smoke was to credit for poor air quality earlier in the week, Wednesday's alert is due to high-levels of ozone in the air.

At 42,956 fire alerts in 2025 so far, this year’s Canadian wildfires are the worst in over a decade, with the exception of 2023, when there were 105,746 alerts.

On Aug. 6, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has not extended its Wisconsin air quality alert — a decision it hasn't made in over a week.