SOUTHERN ILLINOIS — All counties in our listening area were placed on an air quality alert Tuesday that includes Vandalia, Centralia, Salem, and Mt. Vernon. Smoke from wildfires in Canada is moving into our region and pushing air quality into the unhealthy or worse categories.

Chicago, which was hit with the smoke earlier, was ranked as having the worst air quality on the planet Tuesday.

Counties to the south of Jefferson County are additionally under an Excessive Heat Watch.

The excessive heat and dry conditions have resulted in multiple counties in our region enacting burn bans.

Bond, Crawford, Hamilton, and Randolph counties, along with Sparta have issued outright burn bans, while Jefferson County Fire Protection District was advising the community to hold off on any kind of burning until the country receives a significant amount of rain.