Dangerous smoke from large wildfires burning in Canada and Minnesota is expected to blanket wide portions of the Midwest and Northeast United States this week, putting millions of people at risk from hazardous air pollution.
Minnesota officials have issued an air quality alert running from Tuesday through Friday for several areas, including the Twin Cities metro area, Alexandria, and Two Harbors. The northeastern corner of the state is expected to see especially heavy smoke as the fires continue to grow. Air quality in Two Harbors, the Tribal Nation of Grand Portage, and other parts of northeastern Minnesota is forecast to reach hazardous levels — conditions considered unsafe for everyone, not just those with health vulnerabilities.
Dan Westervelt, an associate professor at Columbia University’s Climate School, described the situation as “a perfect storm for really dry conditions to provide a lot of fuel for these wildfires to burn.” He noted that severe drought combined with intense heat across Canada and the U.S. has created ideal conditions for fire spread. Scientific research indicates that rising temperatures driven by the burning of coal, oil, and gas are making wildfires both more frequent and more destructive.
Tyler Hasenstein, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Chanhassen, Minnesota, is advising people to stay inside as much as possible to avoid both the extreme heat and the incoming smoke. “Those two things coinciding with each other is not good from a health perspective,” he warned.
Officials in Michigan and Wisconsin also cautioned residents Tuesday that air quality problems could persist for several days. Fine particulate matter carried by wildfire smoke poses the greatest danger to sensitive populations, including children and individuals with heart or lung conditions.
In parts of Maine, residents reported an unusual yellowish and brownish tint to the sky. The National Weather Service office in Gray, Maine, posted on social media Tuesday that “there is plenty of smoke upstream, so expect periods of hazy skies over the next day before the cold front pushes through.”
According to Hasenstein, by Wednesday afternoon the heaviest smoke will push into the East Coast and Midwest, affecting areas including parts of the New England coastline, northern Pennsylvania, Detroit, and Milwaukee. Several counties in western and central New York were placed under an air quality advisory Wednesday lasting until midnight. Hasenstein added that the most intense smoke could push as far south as Washington, D.C. by midday Thursday.
Breathing in fine particle pollution from wildfire smoke can trigger shortness of breath, coughing, dizziness, and fatigue, while also worsening existing heart and lung diseases and other long-term health conditions. Health experts recommend cutting back or canceling outdoor activities, wearing an N95 mask when going outside is unavoidable, and keeping indoor air clean by shutting windows and running an air purifier or air conditioner. Over the long term, repeated exposure to fine particulate matter from wildfire smoke is recognized as one of the leading contributors to premature death.
