DULUTH, Minn. – It’s the unwanted guest that just won’t stay away.
Another plume of smoke from wildfires burning in western and central Canada is set to blow across the border into the Upper Midwest later this weekend before drifting into the Great Lakes early next week.
Smoke-tracking forecast models indicate light hazy skies will return to the Dakotas on Saturday; then a denser plume will drift across northern Minnesota into the northern Great Lakes on Sunday into early next week.
“Through Sunday is when we could see some of that wildfire smoke across parts of the Upper Midwest once again so keep a close eye on your AQI if you’re in that area,” said FOX Weather Meteorologist Kiyana Lewis.
WHAT TO DO WHEN WILDFIRE SMOKE SMOTHERS YOUR AREA, AND HOW TO KEEP YOUR HOME’S AIR CLEAN
No air quality alerts were in effect as of Saturday morning, but air quality may drop somewhat in those regions by Sunday or early next week, according to the FOX Forecast Center.
Nearly 1,000 wildfires continue to burn in Canada, of which over 600 are considered out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Fires have scorched nearly 28 million acres so far as 2023 cements itself as one of the worst wildfire seasons on record in Canada, with several weeks still remaining in wildfire season.
Back in the US, localized wildfire smoke issues are possible in western Montana and in southern Oregon into far northern California due to wildfires burning in those areas.