Canadian wildfire smoke is creating dangerous conditions across the Great Lakes as it bleeds into the I-95 corridor. FOX Weather Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen breaks down the latest track and what you can expect in your city:
Canadian wildfire smoke is back, and has already begun choking out major cities across the Great Lakes and Northeast.
Heavy plumes have created eerie, hazy skies and fiery orange sunrises and sunsets bleeding into the region, with impacts set to reach more of the Interstate 95 Corridor by Wednesday night and into Thursday.
The invasion is driven by shifting winds brought on by a cold front moving south out of Canada.
This has plunged air quality to dangerous levels, forcing indexes in parts of Michigan and Minnesota into the unhealthy “orange” and “red” zones.
Air quality conditions
(FOX Weather)
As the wildfires rage out of control, some cities could see their biggest air quality challenge since the wildfire outbreaks of June 2023.
Buildings shrouded in smoke from Canada wildfires in Baltimore, Maryland, US, on Thursday, June 8, 2023. The US Northeast will continue to breathe in choking smoke from fires across eastern Canada for the next few days, raising health alarms across impacted areas. Photographer: Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images
For those living in the country’s major metropolitan areas, the smoke may have already arrived or is on its way. According to the FOX Forecast Center, here are the top U.S. cities expected to see the worst air quality as the plume drifts south and east.
Duluth, Minnesota
This area sits directly downwind of the active northern Minnesota blazes, where ground-level smoke will be dense and dangerous.
Wildfire smoke turns the sky orange above Hubertus, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, June 29, 2023.
(Eileen Worman via Storyful)
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Winds across Lake Michigan will blanket the area with smoke, causing Air Quality Indexes to soar.
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Detroit, Michigan
With the whole state of Michigan under an air quality alert, hazy skies are expected to worsen Wednesday night into Thursday.
Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio
Cleveland sits directly downwind of Lake Erie, trapping smoke along the coastline before it moves south to Columbus.
Wildfire smoke turned the sky orange during sunrise in Syracuse, New York, on June 29, 2023.
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Buffalo & Rochester, New York
These cities are serving as the gateway for the Canadian smoke crossing into New York State, with air quality already being impacted.
BREAKING DOWN THE HEALTH IMPACTS OF WILDFIRE SMOKE AS THE U.S. DEALS WITH THIS ONGOING ISSUE
Pittsburgh, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.—
Although vibrant and hazy sunrises and sunsets have already begun, conditions are expected to deteriorate through Thursday as the cold front trails off, pushing smoke toward the I-95 corridor.
A view of smoky sky as air quality fell to dangerous levels due to Canada’s wildfires, according to reports from the National Weather Service, in Washington DC, United States on June 07, 2023.
(Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency / Getty Images)
That said, while the smoke is heading toward major East Coast hubs, the absolute worst, most dangerous air quality will be concentrated in the communities closest to the active fires.
Some of those areas include the following:
Two Harbors, Minnesota
This area is positioned directly downwind of the expanding fires, with air quality pushing deep into the dangerous maroon category.
Tribal Nation of Grand Portage, Minnesota
Sitting right on the border, Grand Portage is taking a direct hit from dense Canadian smoke plumes. Reports indicate visibility has dropped to near-zero, with heavy, campfire-smelling air blanketing the region.
