Toronto's air is some of the most unbreathable and polluted in the world right now

Toronto residents woke up to a familiar haze in the skies on Thursday as wildfire smoke once again blankets the city in pollution — resulting in some of the worst-ranked air pollution in major hubs  around the world.

The city has regularly ranked on IQAir's Air Quality Index since the start of summer as wildfire smoke from fires burning in the Prairies is carried east over Ontario.

As of Thursday morning at 8 a.m., Toronto's air quality sat at a dismal 157 on the AQI index, ranking in third place behind only Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Doha, Qatar.

IQAir

Toronto has previously ranked near the top of IQAir's AQI listings, including multiple wildfire smoke events in recent weeks.

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) issued a special air quality statement for Toronto and other southern Ontario locales on Wednesday evening, warning that "smoke is causing or expected to cause poor air quality and reduced visibility" across the region.

The ECCC warning added that "air quality and visibility due to wildfire smoke can fluctuate over short distances and can vary considerably from hour to hour."

While it will make for uncomfortable breathing for some on Thursday, the government climate agency states that air quality is expected to improve later in the day.