RIAU24.COM – Smoke from wildfires in Canada continues to rage in the United States, triggering air quality alerts in at least 11 states in the region. Midwest, Plains And Great Lakes Sunday.
As forecasters predict, nearly 60 million people from Montana to Ohio will face poor air quality and reduced visibility, including residents of Cedar Rapids, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Washington, and Cleveland.
The air quality index on Sunday was in the “unhealthy” range, between levels 4 and 6, across much of the northern Plains from Montana to Illinois.
“Although atmospheric smoke concentrations will begin to decrease Monday, there will still be enough smoke to support unhealthy air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups in parts of the region through early next week,” the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center said.
As experts have indicated, the smoke will be pushed eastward by winds that will bring a smoky haze to the northeast early in the week.
The BC Fire Service said the plume was up from the 400 fires that have ravaged the province of B.C. in the past week, nearly half of which started after 51,000 lightning strikes caused by thunderstorms.
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