Which US states will see smoke from Canadian wildfires? EPA issues air quality warnings
Fallout from the over 100 wildfires currently blazing across Canada is again being felt by U.S. states.
There were 181 active fires in Canada as of Monday, with 90 being classified as "out of control" and 62 as "under control," according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC). Most of those fires, 69, were in British Columbia, followed by 49 in Alberta, 14 to 15 in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, and a handful more spread across other territories.
The situation was categorized as a five, the highest rank on the National Preparedness Level, early Monday afternoon, meaning, "Wildland fire activity is significant within one or more jurisdictions," and "Firefighters and equipment in every jurisdiction in Canada is put to use and international help has been requested."
In the U.S., smoke from the fires has already been detected drifting through Montana, North Dakota and northern Minnesota. More states, ranging as far south as Florida and as far east and north as New York, may soon experience hazy or compromised air as well.
Here is what to know as of Monday, June 2.
Parts of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois had swaths of air quality warnings ranging from "moderate" and "unhealthy for sensitive groups" to "unhealthy" for all as of Monday afternoon, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) AirNow tracker. Nebraska, Montana and Kansas also have small areas of "moderate" air quality warnings near borders with other impacted states.
The red zone classified as the most "unhealthy" covers an area near Fargo, Minnesota that stretches northward from Ashby past Dugdale and into the Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge and eastward from Barnesville to Davies.
Smoke and compromised air quality may drift eastward later Monday and into Tuesday, according to the EPA's forecast tracker, with "unhealthy for sensitive groups" warnings expected to extend into Wisconsin and "unhealthy" quality focusing on the coast from Manitowoc and south past Kenosha into Zion. This stretch of smoky air will impact cities including Burlington, Sheboygan, and Milwaukee.
Air quality warnings of "moderate" and "unhealthy for sensitive groups" status will extend from Minnesota all the way down into Texas and Florida and east towards Virginia, Pennsylvania and the Carolinas on Monday. Tuesday, they could reach as far as New York and even a small fraction of Connecticut. Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota will take the brunt of more serious air quality warnings that day, according to the forecast.
Forecasts from FireSmoke Canada predicted the smoke fallout with extend even further, all the way up into Maine, hitting major population centers on the East Coast along the way.
The air quality index, or AQI, measures the air quality and level of health concern it presents as measured by the Environmental Protection Agency. The AQI is measured on a scale of 0 to 500, with higher numbers indicating more hazardous air pollution and increased health concerns.
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