Wildfires expose millions in Midwest, Northeast to dangerous smoke
CBS News · LC · trust 65/100
Updated on: July 15, 2026 / 3:57 PM EDT / CBS/AP
Heavy smoke from several large wildfires blazing in Canada and Minnesota is expected to engulf large swaths of the Midwest and Northeast U.S. this week, exposing millions of people to dangerous air pollution.
The air quality continues to decrease across the Northeast Wednesday afternoon and is expected to worsen in the next couple of days as the air pushes eastward.
High levels of fine particulate matter in the air from smoke may be unhealthy for sensitive groups, such as children and people with heart or lung conditions.
Minnesota officials issued an air quality alert from Tuesday through Friday for areas including the Twin Cities metro area, Alexandria and Two Harbors, with very heavy smoke expected across the state's northeastern corner as large wildfires spread. Air quality levels in Two Harbors, the Tribal Nation of Grand Portage and other regions in northeast Minnesota were expected to reach hazardous levels, making it unsafe for everyone.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and other state leaders moved Wednesday to extend a peacetime emergency for an extra 30 days as wildfires continue to rage, CBS Minnesota reported . Much of the state is also under an air quality alert through Friday
Officials in Michigan and Wisconsin also warned residents about air quality issues that could last for days. The entire state of Michigan will be under an air quality alert on Wednesday due to particulate pollution from the Canadian wildfire smoke, the state's environmental agency said.
Multiple counties in western and central New York were under an air quality advisory Wednesday until midnight. New York City, which was ranked among the most polluted cities in the world on Wednesday, is under an air quality alert until Thursday due to smoke from the wildfires.
A large plume of smoke from the fires unexpectedly poured into the Boston area and the skies morphed from a milky white to an ominous brown/yellow, CBS News Boston reported .
Air quality alerts have been issued by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection for the entire state.
In parts of Maine, residents were reporting a yellowish and brownish color in the sky. "There is plenty of smoke upstream, so expect periods of hazy skies over the next day before the cold front pushes through," the National Weather Service in Gray, Maine, said on social media Tuesday.
By Wednesday afternoon, intense smoke will spread across more of the East Coast and Midwest, including parts of the New England coast, northern Pennsylvania, Detroit and Milwaukee, said Tyler Hasenstein, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Chanhassen, Minnesota. The most intense smoke could spread as far south as Washington, D.C., by midday Thursday, Hasenstein said.
Dan Westervelt, associate professor at Columbia University's Climate School, said severe drought conditions combined with heat in Canada and the U.S. have created "a perfect storm for really dry conditions to provide a lot of fuel for these wildfires to burn." Research shows warming temperatures from burning coal, oil and gas are making fires more frequent and intense.
People should stay indoors as much as possible to avoid the extreme heat, especially as smoke moves in, said Hasenstein.
"Those two things coinciding with each other is not good from a health perspective," he said.
Fine particle pollution from wildfire smoke can cause shortness of breath, coughing, dizziness or fatigue and aggravate heart and lung diseases and other chronic health issues. Experts suggest reducing or eliminating outdoor activities, wearing an N95 mask if you have to be outside and keeping your indoor air cleaner by closing windows and running an air purifier or air conditioner. Long term, exposure to fine particulate matter from wildfire smoke is one of the leading causes of premature death.
A study released earlier this year found that chronic exposure to pollution from wildfires has been linked to tens of thousands of deaths annually in the United States.
Read the original at CBS News →
Open in TruthVane →