Air quality maps show how Canadian wildfire smoke is affecting Midwest, Northeast
Smoke from Canadian wildfires is causing air quality concerns and hazy skies for many Americans in the Midwest and Northeast for another day this week.
Air quality alerts were in effect Wednesday morning in parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Delaware, according to the National Weather Service.
A map of the current Air Quality Index, the federal measurement system, showed "moderate" ratings in several states in the Midwest and Northeast, as well as "unhealthy for sensitive groups" ratings primarily around the Great Lakes Wednesday morning.
The air index has six ratings:
- Good
- Moderate
- Unhealthy for sensitive groups
- Unhealthy
- Very unhealthy
- Hazardous
Sensitive groups include those who have a heart or lung disease, as well as older adults, children and pregnant women.
There were more than 700 active wildfires in Canada as of Wednesday morning, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
