Air Quality Alerts are up for the northern tier of the U.S. for nearly 50 million people this weekend as smoke returns from the Canadian wildfires through Monday evening.
“You will likely see that haze as you open up the door this morning, going into the afternoon, going to continue to kind of fizzle as a cold front sweeps through,” FOX Weather meteorologist Jane Minar said.
Behind that cold front, a northerly push of wind will settle the Canadian wildfire smoke once again over the Great Lakes and into the Ohio Valley come Monday.
The plume originates mostly from the Alberta and British Columbia region and has been slow to filter into the Midwest. Poor air quality levels were beginning to show in the Plains and western Minnesota on Saturday morning. By Sunday morning, most of North Dakota will be covered in a smoky haze.
“It’s going to be a tough stretch today,” Minar said. “Make sure that you are vigilant and aware of the air quality. And if it does get a little bit too hazy, maybe spend some time inside.”
Air Quality Alerts have been issued for the entire state of Minnesota through Saturday evening, as the smoke could lead to impacts for sensitive groups. The same alerts expand into Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
“It includes portions of Nebraska into portions of Montana and Wyoming,” Minar said. “And even all the way over in Indiana. And we do have unhealthy air as we go through this morning. It is going to be a tough stretch.”
The FOX Forecast Center said due to prevailing weather patterns, the Northeast is not expected to see a heavy layer of smoke during the next several days.
The number of forest fires continues to rise in Canada, climbing this week to more than 670 blazes — more than half of which are still out of control.
As a long and difficult summer lies ahead, Canadian fire officials said 23.9 million acres already gone up in smoke across the country this year. That equals to about the size of Indiana. The staggering number of acres burned is 11 times the average for the last decade.
Smoke from wildfires in June engulfed major cities along the Interstate 95 corridor, which made for hazy skies and reduced visibilities. Air quality readings reached hazardous levels in Philadelphia, New York and other communities downwind of fires burning in Quebec.