Smoke from Canadian wildfires set off multiple air quality alerts Thursday across the Midwest and the Canadian prairies, stretching eastward to Toronto.
“There’s a pretty large swath of smoke actually over the central part of the country right now, and you can see that coming down from central Canada,” said Dave Radell, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in New York.
The smoke is expected to remain over the northern and central Plains for the next couple of days, he said, adding that there was a chance it could drift toward the East Coast during the later part of the weekend and into early next week.
In Canada, where fires have scorched millions of acres, air quality alerts were issued for multiple provinces, including parts of Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan.
Every air quality monitor in Minnesota is reporting red or unhealthy conditions for everyone, said Matt Taraldsen, supervisory meteorologist at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
The agency issued an air quality alert for the northern half of Minnesota on Sunday before extending it to the entire state Tuesday, Taraldsen said Thursday. The alert is expected to last until midday Saturday.
“This is the first time that we’ve had a weeklong worth of alerts across the entire state,” he said. “Especially at levels that weren’t just unhealthy for sensitive groups, at levels that are unhealthy for everyone.”
Taraldsen said the state could expect something of a break from the smoke over the weekend, “but it looks like next week there could be another substantial round of smoke that we are keeping an eye on as well.”
People can wear well-fitting KN95 or N95 masks to protect themselves, he said, noting that it’s still possible to go outside even with the hazy conditions.
“You just want to be really cognizant of your health and what your body’s telling you,” he said. “If you’re starting to get burning eyes, coughing, things like that, those are the first indications that your body is being impacted by the wildfire smoke.”
Canada’s wildfire season is entering its busiest period, which means that smoke is going to be an issue for the rest of the summer, Taraldsen said, noting that fires were burning both aboveground and underground — in the naturally occurring rich peat bog beneath Canada.
Peat is a nutrient-dense soil that “holds heat really well,” he said, “so when it catches on fire, it tends to smolder for a long time.”
This means that it is “virtually impossible” for the fires to be put out before winter, Taraldsen said, “even if you have a lot of rain that falls over these fires.”
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issued an air quality advisory on Tuesday that was extended Thursday morning until midday Friday, said Craig Czarnecki, an outreach coordinator for the department.
“Conditions will be re-evaluated every morning on a day-to-day basis through the weekend as additional advisories may be needed,” he said.
Czarnecki said the current advisory was the longest one the department had issued this year, and it “may need to be extended further.”
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In Chicago, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Department of Public Health warned residents to be cautious with their outdoor activities as drifting smoke prompted a Red Air Pollution Action Day in several counties, including Peoria and Cook, the agencies said in a news release Thursday.
It is “too soon to say how long the conditions are expected to last,” said Kim Biggs, a spokesperson for the Illinois EPA, adding that the agency was “closely watching our current monitor readings as well as smoke models for the region.”
People in affected areas across the United States are encouraged to visit AirNow.gov for the latest information on local air quality and forecasts. People in Canada can visit www.airhealth.ca for the latest information on their region.
Wildfire smoke contains dangerous pollutants in the form of fine particles known as PM 2.5 that can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Short-term exposure can lead to bronchitis, worsen asthma and create other health issues.
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