What is it like when Wisconsin’s AQI, usually somewhere in the 20s, spikes past 200?
Yesterday’s forecast said smoke from the Canadian wildfires was drifting straight over Wisconsin. Before bed, I turned the air purifier up to full blast.
I woke up this morning to a gray, hazy view outside, like morning fog that just never lifted all day. It was supposed to be a clear day, but the sky looked murky, like the water you rinse a paintbrush in.
My eyes felt dry, and my throat and nose were clogged with particles. My thoughts felt clogged too, sluggish and slow, my whole body felt heavy, and I had a bit of a headache on and off.
Meanwhile, my neighbors were out sunbathing. Some were grilling, some were even swimming.
I’m pretty sure their lungs are made of steel.
It’s fine, I’ll accept that I’m a hothouse flower, a cute little hothouse flower, haha.
I was just wondering today whether Marcus, who lives in Chicago, would put up a post about the air pollution, and sure enough, he did. Chicago’s AQI hit 500, so bad it seems almost off the scale. I hope everyone there is doing okay.
NB: This article was first published in Chinese. It was later translated with assistance from AI tools, edited by me, and published in English.