By Ijeoma Agbafo
Smoke from wildfires burning in Ontario, Canada, and northeastern Minnesota has spread across the Great Lakes and the Northeastern United States, prompting air quality alerts and raising health concerns for millions of residents.
Air quality advisories have been issued for parts of Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, New York and New England, with major cities including Detroit, Chicago, Buffalo, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., expected to experience hazy skies and reduced air quality over the coming days.
Meteorologists warned that while some areas would see smoke high in the atmosphere, others could experience ground-level smoke containing fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which poses greater health risks.
The smoke is also expected to reduce visibility and create hazy or orange-tinted skies until wind patterns change. Health officials have advised children, older adults, pregnant women, and people with asthma, heart disease, or other respiratory conditions to limit outdoor activities, keep windows closed, use air conditioning or air purifiers where available, and wear well-fitting N95 masks if prolonged outdoor exposure is unavoidable.
The smoke outbreak coincides with extreme heat affecting parts of the Northeastern United States, increasing the risk of heat-related illnesses and respiratory complications.
Although forecasters say the current episode may not be as widespread as the June 2023 wildfire smoke event, some areas could still experience unhealthy air quality for several hours depending on changing wind conditions.
