Smoke from Canada’s wildfires may return to the U.S. this week after plaguing parts of the East with widespread air quality concerns last week, forecasters warned.
AccuWeather satellite imagery showed smoke from Ontario flowing into the Upper Midwest on Tuesday. While the smoke may lead to air quality concerns, AccuWeather forecasters say it won’t be as intense as last week when plumes of smoke turned skies orange and led to historically bad air quality levels in the East.
This is because the fires in Ontario, while numerous, are relatively small, said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Brett Anderson.
The smoke also isn’t expected to stay long as storms and shifting winds are forecast to reduce the smoke in the U.S. by Friday, according to AccuWeather.
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Still, the Upper Midwest, especially the eastern Dakotas through Minnesota, northern Wisconsin and upper Michigan, may see air quality issues “over the next few days,” Anderson said.
Canada had 461 active fires as of Wednesday morning with 236 considered “out of control,” according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. There were 65 active fires in Ontario.
The agency Wednesday also was at a national preparedness level of five, the highest level of wildfire activity response.
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USA TODAY
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