TOLEDO – Smoke passing over the Midwest from Canadian wildfires caused Toledo to have the worst air quality on record for the northwest Ohio city.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) measures pollution levels in the air, putting anything at 301 or higher at a hazardous level.
0-50 is the rating for good air quality.
51-100 is the rating for moderate concern, with potential to irritate some groups of people.
101-150 is an unhealthy amount of pollution for sensitive groups of people, according to AirNow.Gov.
151-200 is where some members of the general public will begin to have their health affected by the poor air quality.
201-300 is very unhealthy air quality.
301+ is hazardous.
The air quality on July 16, 2026 more than doubled the 300 marker. The photos below were all taken that day.
