'Prolonged impact': Canadian wildfires prompt air quality warnings for Midwest, Northeast
Blazes raging in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba are fouling the air in the Midwest and Northeast, the National Weather Service said Aug. 4. Authorities from Minnesota to Maine have ordered air quality alerts, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
The impact from the fires isn't as dramatic as the wildfires of 2023 that left New York City blanketed in a moonglow orange. But weak winds have left the smoke to linger over the northern United States for days, said Dan Cornish, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Michigan.
"We're definitely seeing prolonged impact. We've had several days of hazy skies," Cornish told USA TODAY, adding the horizon outside the weather service office in Gaylord, Michigan, has been a "milky gray" for days. "Unfortunately, that's just going to continue to deteriorate air quality across much of this area."
Storm Prediction Center alert maps show blanket air quality warnings for Michigan, Wisconsin, New York and the New England region.
Stronger winds aren't expected to displace the smoke until Aug. 6 or Aug. 7 for the Midwest, Cornish said, but conditions in the Northeast probably will improve by the end of the week.
Authorities recommend limiting outdoor activity in the areas with poor air quality. Children, older adults and people suffering from respiratory conditions, including asthma, are particularly vulnerable to the fine particulate matter small enough to be inhaled that is the toxic byproduct of wildfires, environmental officials warned.
Where are the wildfires in Canada?
The worst of the blazes affecting the United States are in the provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and western Ontario, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center. Most of the Canadian blazes are sparked by lightning in dry, remote forested areas that are difficult for firefighters to access except by aircraft, Cornish said.
"You get a lot of wildfires that can start up in those conditions, and it's a challenge, but that's the nature of it, quite literally," Cornish said. "There's nothing you can do to prevent it."
What cities are the worst off?
The blazes have catapulted major American and Canadian cities into the most polluted places in the world, according to a global air-quality index maintained by IQAir, a Swiss-based air quality monitoring company.
Detroit, Minneapolis and Toronto were among the top 11 most polluted cities in the world on the evening of Aug. 4, according to IQAir. New York City and Montreal were among the top 20 most polluted cities, according to the global index.
See the map of Canadian wildfires
Side effects of inhaling wildfire smoke
Wildfire smoke can irritate the eyes, nose and throat and cause the following symptoms:
Coughing
Chest tightness
Shortness of breath
Dizziness
Fatigue
Particulate matter (PM) is one of the main components of wildfire smoke, comprising small particles of solids or liquids suspended in the air, USA TODAY has reported.
According to Yale Medicine, the particles can be 10 micrometers, PM 10, or as small as 2.5 micrometers, PM 2.5, which can easily pass through a person's usual defense mechanisms and can "penetrate deep into the lungs, where they can impair lung function, cause illnesses, such as bronchitis, and increase asthma attacks."
According to Yale Medicine, exposure to PM 2.5 particles can cause:
Heart attack
Stroke
Lung cancer
Decline in cognitive function
Contributing: Julia Gomez
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Canadian wildfire smoke to linger over the Midwest and Northeast
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
National Weather Service To Fill 450 Positions After Firing 600, Report Says
The National Weather Service has reportedly been given the OK to hire 450 new meteorologists, hydrologists and radar technicians months after roughly 600 employees were either fired or took the buyouts offered to millions of federal workers. President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott meet with local emergency services personnel as they survey flood damage along the Guadalupe River on July 11, 2025. Getty Images The new hires were authorized directly by the Office of Personnel Management, CNN reported, citing an unnamed National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration official, after the NWS lobbied strongly to be exempt from the federal hiring freeze that started when Trump took office. The agency claimed a public safety exemption in its plea to hire new people after the Department of Government Efficiency cut 11% of NOAA's workforce, about half of which came from the NWS. The agency lost about 600 people—roughly 100 probationary employees were fired and 500 took buyouts pushed by President Donald Trump—which represents 17% of the NWS' workforce. It's unclear if the agency will be making all new hires or re-hiring some of the employees that were let go in the DOGE cuts. Cuts to the National Weather Service have been among the Trump administration's most criticized, particularly after staffing shortages were revealed at the two local forecasting offices closest to the deadly flash floods that killed more than 130 people in Texas in July. Get Forbes Breaking News Text Alerts: We're launching text message alerts so you'll always know the biggest stories shaping the day's headlines. Text 'Alerts' to (201) 335-0739 or sign up here : 10. That's how many vacancies there were out of 49 positions at NWS forecasting offices in central Texas. The San Antonio office had six vacancies out of 26 positions and the San Angelo office had four vacancies out of 23 jobs. While experts said the positions being filled likely wouldn't have made flood warnings more timely or accurate, some former NWS officials told The New York Times it may have impacted the agency's ability to communicate with local authorities after the warnings were issued. 'How much time/money is it going to cost to train a bunch of new people when we had already-trained people in place?' one unnamed NOAA official said to CNN. Tangent The hiring announcement comes at the start of what has historically been the busiest part of the Atlantic hurricane season and one week after the Department of Defense rolled back plans to stop publicly providing satellite data needed for hurricane forecasting and sea ice monitoring. The Atlantic hurricane season lasts from June 1 to Nov. 30 but August, September and October are usually the most active months. NOAA has predicted a slightly above-normal season for this year, in part due to warmer-than-average ocean temperatures, estimating there will be 13-19 named storms this year, with six to 10 developing into hurricanes. NOAA in June said it would stop providing satellite data it has made available since 1962, citing 'significant cybersecurity risk," but on July 30 confirmed to The New York Times the program will keep running indefinitely. What To Watch For The National Hurricane Center is monitoring two systems with the potential to develop. The NHC says there is a 40% chance a disturbance off the coast of South Carolina will develop into a tropical depression in the next week, and a 50% chance of a tropical depression forming from a disturbance moving over the central tropical Atlantic. Systems are named when they reach tropical storm strength (sustained winds of 39 mph or higher) and become hurricanes when sustained winds reach at least 74 mph. Further Reading Forbes Who Is To Blame For Texas Flooding Tragedy? Latest: Kristi Noem Defends FEMA's Response By Mary Whitfill Roeloffs Forbes Was Texas Warned Of Flooding Properly? Here's What We Know By Zachary Folk Forbes Investigating Weather With New Satellites By John Werner
CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
Air quality alert issued for Chicago through Wednesday night due to wildfire smoke
An air quality alert was issued for the Chicago area through midnight on Wednesday due to lingering Canadian wildfire smoke. According to AirNow, Chicago is under "moderate" air quality. Residents are advised to take precautions, especially those sensitive to polluted conditions, by limiting their time outside and keeping windows and doors closed. Groups most sensitive to the air quality include babies, children, and elderly people. During this time, Chicago residents are also urged to reduce pollution levels. You can find tips for lowering pollution levels here. On July 31, Canadian wildfire smoke brought the worst air quality in the world to Chicago. According to IQAir, Chicago's air quality index on July 31 was, for a time, standing at 174, the worst of any major city in the world.
CNN
2 hours ago
- CNN
One-two punch of wildfire smoke is wrecking air quality in the US
Air quality has taken a serious hit across the United States as a two-fold blow of wildfires in the West and in Canada have sent smoke pouring across large sections of the country — a problem that's set to linger for days. Air quality alerts are in effect Tuesday for millions of people in 11 states in the Midwest and Northeast due to smoke from Canadian wildfires. Tuesday's smoke concentration isn't quite as intense as it was Monday in these areas but remains a significant health concern, especially for people with breathing issues, children and the elderly. Smoke from intense wildfires in the western US has also decreased air quality in multiple states, especially in Southern California, where crews are battling the state's biggest fire of the year. The weather that fuels wildfires – dry air and strong winds – is coming together more frequently in parts of Canada and the US as the world continues to warm due to fossil fuel pollution. And, the most extreme wildfires in North America are getting more intense, leaving the door wide open for wildfire smoke to impact more people. There are more than 500 out of control wildfires in Canada as of Tuesday morning, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Of those uncontrolled blazes, 140 are burning in the province of Manitoba and there are more than 70 in Saskatchewan. Smoke from those fires and ones in nearby provinces spilled south across the border over the weekend behind a potent cold front that erased intense July heat in the eastern two-thirds of the US. Shortly after, an area of high pressure developed and parked over portions of eastern Canada and the northeastern US and trapped that smoke from the Plains to the Northeast. Air quality was abysmal to start the week in parts of the Midwest and Northeast as a result. Detroit had the third-worst air quality out of any global major city on Monday, spending most of the day with unhealthy or Level 4 of 6 air quality. The city's air quality was sixth-worst in the world early Tuesday morning, according to IQAir, a company that tracks global air quality. Wildfire smoke contains very dangerous, tiny pollutants called PM2.5 that can travel deep into the lungs or enter the bloodstream when inhaled. The minuscule particles can lead to breathing problems like bronchitis and cause inflammation that aggravates diabetes, heart disease and other health conditions. Smoke near the surface in these regions will start to clear out on Wednesday, but smoke higher in the atmosphere could linger for much of the week before a new cold front helps clear it out over the weekend. High-level smoke has less of an impact on air quality but keeps the sky hazy, sometimes turning the sun into a brilliant orange and enhancing sunrises and sunsets. Wildfire smoke is also causing air quality issues in the West, but this smoke is homegrown. Intense, large wildfires are burning parts of 10 western states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center, and some are sending smoke hundreds of miles away. California's Gifford Fire become the state's largest wildfire of the year on Tuesday, surpassing the acreage burned by July's Madre Fire. It's burned through more than 82,000 acres of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties since igniting Friday and was only 7% contained as of Tuesday morning. Evacuation orders are in effect Tuesday for portions of both counties as warm, dry air and gusty winds continue to fuel fire growth, with little help expected from the weather for fire crews this week. The fire's behavior has been extreme: It burned through an area about the size of a football field every 2 seconds on average Sunday night into Monday morning. Smoke from the Gifford Fire poured south and east into other parts of Southern California and cratered air quality in parts of Nevada – including Las Vegas – on Monday. In fact, air quality in the Las Vegas area on Monday was the worst it's been since February 2023, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency. The air quality index maxed out on the upper end of the unhealthy – Level 4 of 6 – category early Monday afternoon. Arizona's Dragon Bravo Fire is also spewing smoke well east as it rages along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The megafire has grown to one of Arizona's largest in history since a lightning strike set it off on the Fourth of July. It's burned through dozens of structures, including a historic lodge, and become so intense that it's created its own weather at times. Another wildfire that's created its own weather in recent days and threatened nearby communities is Utah's Monroe Canyon Fire. It's the state's largest wildfire of the year, having burned through more than 63,000 acres since it started in mid-July. The fire was only 13% contained as of Tuesday morning. Smoke from the Monroe Canyon Fire and the Dragon Bravo Fire has commingled at times and spread into portions of Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico. Wildfire season in the US is far from over, and smoke issues will persist as long as fires blaze. The West will remain the major wildfire hot spot through at least September, forecasts from the National Interagency Fire Center show. CNN Meteorologist Briana Waxman and CNN's Joe Sutton contributed to this report.
