Now that the smoke has cleared, Chicago may need to face a new reality: We may have to start planning for a yearly "smoke season."

Why it matters: Chicago has always planned around winter storms and summer heat. Wildfire smoke may become another seasonal disruption for residents, businesses and public agencies.

Driving the news: Smoke from massive Canadian wildfires blanketed a large swath of the United States last week, pushing air quality to hazardous levels.

• Chicago was the most polluted major city in the world last Thursday, according to IQAir.
• An Air Quality Alert remains in effect through tonight for much of the area.

Zoom in: Smoke didn't just keep people indoors. Restaurants closed their patios, day camps shut down, outdoor concerts were canceled, and festivals were scaled back.

What they're saying: Wildfire smoke can also affect the power grid by driving more people indoors and prompting them to run their air conditioning.

• "If temperatures were milder and people had their windows open, then worsening air quality could prompt more households to turn on their AC, creating a noticeable increase in demand," West Monroe Energy and Utilities senior partner Tim Valin tells Axios.
• "Ultimately, it's the weather-driven cooling load, rather than the air quality alone, that utilities are managing."

Zoom out: It's too early to tie these wildfires directly to climate change.

• But researchers have shown that human-caused climate change makes wildfires more likely and more intense.

One headline finding from a Climate Central report last year: "Per-person exposure to harmful wildfire smoke in the U.S. was four times higher during 2020-2024, on average each year, than during 2006-2019."

The bottom line: Americans out West have long understood "fire season." Chicago may need to start thinking about "smoke season," too.

Go deeper

In this second consecutive summer of dangerous wildfire smoke, you may already know to wear a mask, reduce outdoor exposure and check AQI levels, but do you know how to make a "clean room" in your house?

Why it matters: Clean rooms can create a haven in your home with better air for all during periods of heightened risk.

The intrigue: Young people may think they're less vulnerable but — along with the elderly, pregnant people and people with breathing complications — they face some of the biggest respiratory risks.

• "Lungs keep growing until about 20-25," the Respiratory Health Association's Brian Urbaszewski tells Axios. "So anything in those critical years that can harm and stunt lung development can create problems in a person's later years."

Clean room tips: The EPA recommends choosing a room that can fit everyone in the household, with more pointers below.

• Consider a bedroom with an attached bathroom "because you can close it off from the rest of the house and keep the door closed."
• During these periods, avoid frying, broiling, smoking, using aerosols, candles and vacuuming without a HEPA filter in any part of the home.
• Use a "portable air cleaner that is the right size for the clean room and run it continuously on the highest fan setting." ComEd offers rebates for air purifiers of up to $50. 
• You can even create a DIY filter from these models.

The exceptions: While closing windows generally helps, Urbaszewski warns that, for those without AC, the current heat could be more dangerous than breathing the outside air. He suggests people without AC seek cooling centers or alternate accommodations.

More tips

🥬 Produce giant Taylor Farms has expanded its voluntary recall of iceberg lettuce products to 27 states, including Illinois, due to the cyclospora outbreak. (Tribune)

• The FDA, meanwhile, now says a lettuce sample from Taylor Farms that was re-reviewed produced a false positive for cyclospora, NBC reports.

🏚️ Evanston has fined Northwestern University for vacant houses it owns near campus that have sat empty for years. (Crain's)

⚾️ The White Sox and the Cubs won their first series after the All-Star break. The Sox won two games against the defending AL champion Blue Jays in Toronto, while the Cubs held off the surging Twins at Wrigley Field.

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Deep dish pizza has gone from a Chicago staple to a special occasion meal, but that hasn't made locals any less opinionated about where to get it.

State of play: Tavern-style is the "true" Chicago pizza, and some purists (and outsiders) love to malign the hefty local dish.

Yes, but: Every once in a while we all need some of that ooey, gooey, cheese-pulled, crusty pizza invented in Chicago.

Ground rules: Pan and stuffed pizza are off the table. Today's fight is deep dish.

Carrie's pick: Pizano's. I'm a big fan of their thin crust, which reminds me of Rockford pizza (shout-out to Capri), but the deep dish delivers with piles of slightly salty cheese, cornmeal-forward crust and a decent amount of sauce.

• Pro-tip: Order it well done, which will crisp up those edges and make it less runny on the inside.
• Extra pro tip: Ask for Marko if you're eating at the Gold Coast location.

Monica's pick: Lou Malnati's will always remind me (happily) of childhood birthday parties and, for that, I return to the butter crust, fennel sausage and lumpy tomatoes at least once a year.

• This week I tried Lou's new Maxwell Polish deep dish and, let's just say, it's better to keep these two classics separate.

Justin's pick: I always thought stuffed pizza was deep dish, but I've been yelled at enough times to accept they're different.

• I picked Labriola on Michigan Avenue. It serves a more traditional deep dish pie, putting the emphasis on the sauce and toppings instead of just piling on the cheese. And look at that crust!
• I ordered the Classic Chicago pie with green peppers, onions and mushrooms. I left the sausage off this time.

The downside? A 14-inch carryout pizza cost nearly $50 after tax, service charges and tip.

• That being said, I'm going to eat leftovers for a few days, so it evens out.

📫 What's your favorite spot? Respond to this email with your pick, and we'll include in a future newsletter.