Canadian wildfire smoke returns to Northeast with 137 million under air quality alerts across the US
"Unhealthy" air quality levels were reported in places from Montana to Indiana on Sunday. And with wildfire smoke pushing into the Midwest, Ohio Valley and Northeast on Monday, millions of people with conditions such as asthma or heart disease, along with younger people and older adults, could experience sensitivities.
Wildfire smoke returns to the northern US
Smoke from wildfires burning in Canada has returned to the northern U.S. with millions of Americans under Air Quality Alerts.
PHILADELPHIA – Nearly 137 million Americans from the West to the Northeast are under air quality alerts as smoke from wildfires burning in Canada continues to billow into the northern U.S.
"Unhealthy" air quality levels were reported in places from Montana to Indiana on Sunday. And with wildfire smoke pushing into the Midwest, Ohio Valley and Northeast on Monday, millions of people with conditions such as asthma or heart disease, along with younger people and older adults, could experience sensitivities.
‘Unhealthy’ air quality reported from West to Northeast
(FOX Weather)
The Air Quality Index (AQI) ranges from 0 to 500, with smaller values indicating cleaner air and any readings above 300 being hazardous.
Currently, AQI levels are "unhealthy" across central and eastern Montana, northeastern Wyoming and western South Dakota.
But with the wildfire smoke pushing east, "unhealthy" levels have also been reported in parts of Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.
Air quality alerts issued across northern US
(FOX Weather)
Air quality alerts remain in effect in Montana and portions of Wyoming. But millions more Americans from the Midwest to the Northeast are also under air quality alerts through at least Monday night because of the wildfire smoke.
The entire state of Iowa is included, though forecasters say conditions there should improve throughout the day.
The air quality alerts extend from Michigan to Indiana, with people living in cities like Detroit and Indianapolis expected to have poor air quality on Monday.
In the Northeast, most of Pennsylvania and New York state, excluding the immediate New York City metro area, are also under an air quality alert due to the smoky conditions.
SEE EERIE ORANGE SKIES OVER NEW YORK CITY AS CANADIAN WILDFIRE SMOKE BLANKETS NORTHEAST
Big Apple glows orange
![Smokey Sunrise in New York City]()
Image 1 of 20Smoke shrouds the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center as the sun rises in New York City on June 30, 2023, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. (Gary Hershorn)
![A general view of hazy conditions resulting from Canadian wildfires at Yankee Stadium before the game between the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees on June 7, 2023, in New York, New York.]()
Image 2 of 20A general view of hazy conditions resulting from Canadian wildfires at Yankee Stadium before the game between the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees on June 7, 2023, in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) (New York Yankees)
![A general view of hazy conditions resulting from Canadian wildfires at Yankee Stadium before the game between the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees on June 7, 2023, in New York, New York.]()
Image 3 of 20A general view of hazy conditions resulting from Canadian wildfires at Yankee Stadium before the game between the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees on June 7, 2023, in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) (New York Yankees)
![Hazy skies with Radio City Music Hall in the foreground. New York City. June 7, 2023.]()
Image 4 of 20Hazy skies with Radio City Music Hall in the foreground. New York City. June 7, 2023. (Debbie Burkhoff)
![Smokey Sunrise in New York City]()
Image 5 of 20JERSEY CITY, NJ - JUNE 7: Smoke continues to shroud the sun as it rises behind the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center in New York City on June 7, 2023, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. (Gary Hershorn)
![Smokey Sunrise in New York City]()
Image 6 of 20JERSEY CITY, NJ - JUNE 7: Smoke shrouds the skyline of midtown Manhattan as the sun rises in New York City on June 7, 2023, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey. (Gary Hershorn)
![CANADA-ENVIRONMENT-FIRE]()
Image 7 of 20A child stands on the shore before the New York city skyline and east river shrouded in smoke, in Brooklyn on June 6, 2023. (ED JONES/AFP)
![Smoke From Canadian Wildfires Blows South Creating Hazy Conditions On Large Swath Of Eastern U.S.]()
Image 8 of 20NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 7: Traffic goes over the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge as smoke from Canadian wildfires casts a haze over the area on June 7, 2023 in New York City. Air pollution alerts were issued across the United States due to smoke from wildfires that have been burning in Canada for weeks. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
![Smoke in New York City]()
Image 9 of 20( )
![Smoke in New York City]()
Image 10 of 20( )
![Air quality hit harmful levels across eastern US from Canada's wildfires]()
Image 11 of 20Scenes across New York City are seen on June 7, 2023, amid hazy conditions due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. People in the city other areas are expected to have another day of bad air Thursday due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Air quality advisories continue to be in place for all five boroughs of the city of more than 8 million people. (Ezio Cairoli)
![Air quality hit harmful levels across eastern US from Canada's wildfires]()
Image 12 of 20Scenes across New York City are seen on June 7, 2023, amid hazy conditions due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. People in the city other areas are expected to have another day of bad air Thursday due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Air quality advisories continue to be in place for all five boroughs of the city of more than 8 million people. (Ezio Cairoli)
![Air quality hit harmful levels across eastern US from Canada's wildfires]()
Image 13 of 20Scenes across New York City are seen on June 7, 2023, amid hazy conditions due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. People in the city other areas are expected to have another day of bad air Thursday due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Air quality advisories continue to be in place for all five boroughs of the city of more than 8 million people. (Ezio Cairoli)
![Air quality hit harmful levels across eastern US from Canada's wildfires]()
Image 14 of 20Scenes across New York City are seen on June 7, 2023, amid hazy conditions due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. People in the city other areas are expected to have another day of bad air Thursday due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Air quality advisories continue to be in place for all five boroughs of the city of more than 8 million people. (Ezio Cairoli)
![Air quality hit harmful levels across eastern US from Canada's wildfires]()
Image 15 of 20Scenes across New York City are seen on June 7, 2023, amid hazy conditions due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. People in the city other areas are expected to have another day of bad air Thursday due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Air quality advisories continue to be in place for all five boroughs of the city of more than 8 million people. (Ezio Cairoli)
![Air quality hit harmful levels across eastern US from Canada's wildfires]()
Image 16 of 20Scenes across New York City are seen on June 7, 2023, amid hazy conditions due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. People in the city other areas are expected to have another day of bad air Thursday due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Air quality advisories continue to be in place for all five boroughs of the city of more than 8 million people. (Ezio Cairoli)
![Air quality hit harmful levels across eastern US from Canada's wildfires]()
Image 17 of 20Scenes across New York City are seen on June 7, 2023, amid hazy conditions due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. People in the city other areas are expected to have another day of bad air Thursday due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Air quality advisories continue to be in place for all five boroughs of the city of more than 8 million people. (Ezio Cairoli)
![Air quality hit harmful levels across eastern US from Canada's wildfires]()
Image 18 of 20Scenes across New York City are seen on June 7, 2023, amid hazy conditions due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. People in the city other areas are expected to have another day of bad air Thursday due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Air quality advisories continue to be in place for all five boroughs of the city of more than 8 million people. (Ezio Cairoli)
![Air quality hit harmful levels across eastern US from Canada's wildfires]()
Image 19 of 20Scenes across New York City are seen on June 7, 2023, amid hazy conditions due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. People in the city other areas are expected to have another day of bad air Thursday due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Air quality advisories continue to be in place for all five boroughs of the city of more than 8 million people. (Ezio Cairoli)
![Air quality hit harmful levels across eastern US from Canada's wildfires]()
Image 20 of 20Scenes across New York City are seen on June 7, 2023, amid hazy conditions due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. People in the city other areas are expected to have another day of bad air Thursday due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Air quality advisories continue to be in place for all five boroughs of the city of more than 8 million people. (Ezio Cairoli)
While New York City will likely see smoke from the wildfires on Monday, it will not be anything like what the Big Apple experienced in June when the sky turned an eerie orange color.
On June 7, thick smoke from Canadian wildfires led to the worst air quality on record for New York City.
MARS OR MANHATTAN? WILDFIRE SMOKE DRAWS COMPARISONS TO RED PLANET
Images taken from New York showed strange scenes that looked like a science-fiction movie with the sky an apocalyptic orange.
Millions of people were forced to stay indoors, and even Major League Baseball officials opted to postpone games.