Day two of air quality warnings brings 'very high risk' to Golden Horseshoe

Air quality warnings show no signs of improvement across Hamilton, Halton and the Niagara regions on Thursday as conditions continue to stay the same or worsen.

Air quality warnings are in place from Thunder Bay east to Kingston and southeast to Niagara Falls, as several First Nations communities north of the western part of Lake Superior are under mandatory fire evacuation orders.

Toronto topped the list as the city with the worst air quality in the world on Wednesday. However on Thursday, Detroit now ranks first.

Downtown Hamilton, Hamilton Mountain and the city’s west end remain at a very high risk on the Air Quality Health Index, with readings of 10-plus.

This is the same case for Halton region including Burlington, Oakville and Milton.

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On Wednesday, Niagara Region including St. Catharines was under a moderate air quality warning which has since been upgraded to a very high risk on Thursday.

In Lincoln, local conditions are posing an extreme fire risk. No open air fire is permitted as serious fires can start easily, spread quickly, burn intensely and can be very difficult to control.

Brantford also sits at a very high risk on the Air Quality Health Index, with readings of 10-plus.

On Thursday night, the above regions are predicted to drop to a high risk, with a reading of eight.

On Friday, these regions are expected to have their air quality index read six, making it a moderate risk. However, these readings are anticipated to go back up to eight that same night.