Milwaukee has the worst air quality in the US today. Six of the 10 worst cities are in Wisconsin

It's easy to tell the air quality in Wisconsin on July 31 is bad.

First, before even stepping out of the door, you can see the haze from the Canadian wildfire smoke out of your window. Then once you get outside, you can smell and even almost taste the smoke.

But just how bad is it? Milwaukee's is the worst in the United States.

As of 9 a.m., six of the 10 cities with the worst air quality in the country are in Wisconsin, according to IQAir, a company that specializes in tracking global Air Quality Index levels. Beloit, Waukesha, Rhinelander, Madison and Green Bay were all in the bottom 10 with Milwaukee.

How long is Wisconsin's bad air quality going to stick around?

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued an air quality advisory for all of the state until noon Aug. 1, with the AQI values ranging from unhealthy for sensitive groups to unhealthy in general — and a possibility it could be downgraded to the very unhealthy level.

The smoke has been in northern Wisconsin since July 29, and slowly moved south to affect the rest of the state in the following days. It'll hang around July 31 before moving back north the next day.

What do I do when the air quality is bad?

It depends on both the person and the air quality levels.

On July 31, the National Weather Service is advising people in sensitive groups — including children, older adults and people with lung or heart conditions like asthma — to avoid being outside. Everyone else should limit their time outdoors.

See air quality in your area

See the live map below to track air quality in your area. Green indicates good air quality, while yellow is moderate and orange is unhealthy for sensitive groups. Red and purple mean widespread unhealthy and very unhealthy.

How to check the air quality in Wisconsin

The DNR has interactive air quality maps, which show the AQI and any active alerts or advisories by county. You can view them on the department's website, or you can also type in your ZIP code into the AirNow.gov website to view air quality in your area.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee has worst air quality in US. Wisconsin has 6 of 10 worst