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5d ago

Canadian Wildfire Smoke Prompts Air Quality Warnings in Northeast and Colorado

Trapped smoke from over 550 active Canadian fires has driven elevated PM2.5 levels posing respiratory risks for sensitive populations.

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Stock photograph showing smoke from the Dragon Bravo fire filling the Grand Canyon along the South Rim near the Yavapai Geology Museum on July 17, 2025 in Grand Canyon, Arizona.
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A detailed view of the sun covered by smoke from the Canadian wildfires as air quality alerts were issued across Minnesota during the second round of the 3M Open 2025 at TPC Twin Cities on July 25, 2025 in Blaine, Minnesota.

Overview

  • Air quality alerts remain in effect until late Saturday for multiple counties in Vermont, Maine and New York and until early Saturday in Mesa County, Colorado.
  • State agencies in Vermont, Maine and New York have urged children, older adults and those with heart or lung conditions to limit outdoor exertion and watch for symptoms.
  • The National Weather Service attributes the haze to smoke lodged in a sinking air mass over the Northeast combined with wind patterns carrying Canadian wildfire plumes.
  • Canada’s Interagency Forest Fire Centre reports more than 550 fires burning over 15 million acres, with smoke traveling hundreds of miles into U.S. regions.
  • Forecasters say the current plume should drift offshore by Sunday but warn shifting winds may bring fresh wildfire haze back to the Midwest and Northeast early next week.