The Great Lakes and Northeast regions are currently experiencing hazardous air quality due to thick plumes of smoke from wildfires raging in western Ontario, Canada, and northern Minnesota. This smoke is expected to persist through Thursday, creating conditions reminiscent of the Mars-like skies that enveloped New York City in June 2026.

The smoke, which has been contained north of the Great Lakes, is now shifting with the winds and pouring into the Lower 48 states. By Wednesday evening, it is projected to reach the Interstate 95 corridor, affecting major cities like Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia.

Wildfire Smoke Spreads Across the Northeast

Smoky skies and a fiery, orange-hued sun have already blanketed portions of Upstate New York, Massachusetts, and Vermont. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre reports that 32 wildfires sparked across mostly western Ontario on Monday, with 46 wildfires burning out of control across the province. Additionally, several fires sparked and intensified in northern Minnesota as a heat dome drives record temperatures across the Northern Plains.

The Camp Fire in Lake County jumped its containment lines on Monday, triggering local evacuations. As of Wednesday afternoon, there have been 13 new wildfires that have emerged amid 54 active wildfires across Canada, adding to the unsafe air quality and smoke invading the U.S.

Air Quality Alerts Issued

The state’s Pollution Control Agency has issued Air Quality Alerts for parts of northeastern Minnesota, including Two Harbors, Hibbing, Ely, and the Grand Portage Tribal Nation, urging people to avoid prolonged outdoor activity. Similar air quality advisories have been put into effect across multiple other states as the plume of pollution moves through the area.

Dangerous Conditions Expected

According to the FOX Forecast Center, a major shift in wind direction will allow heavy concentrations of wildfire smoke to pour into the Lower 48. The first wave of smoke is blanketing the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes, creating milky, hazy daytime skies. The biggest declines in air quality are expected where the thickest smoke concentrates near the ground.

“Under the thickest bands of the plume, reduced visibility is possible, and air quality will likely become very unhealthy if the latest computer forecast models hold true,” the FOX Forecast Center said. “While much of the smoke is forecast to remain elevated high in the atmosphere, there is a growing signal that we could see a 6-to-8-hour window with smoke settling closer to the ground.”

The smoke plume is expected to move toward the Interstate 95 corridor in the Northeast through the day on Wednesday, reaching places like Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia by Wednesday evening. Air quality issues will be issued as the heat dome intensifies over the Northeast, bringing near-record temperatures for the region.

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Extreme Heat and Smoke Combine

More than 830 wildfires were burning in Canada on Wednesday, along with more than a dozen in northern Minnesota, forcing mandatory evacuations. The wind is now directing that smoke into the U.S., creating dangerous air quality for millions across the upper Midwest and Northeast on Wednesday and through the end of the week.

The smoke is coinciding with a coast-to-coast extreme heat spell. Many of the areas in the Northeast and upper Midwest are expecting to take the brunt of the Canadian smoke and will see temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday in the high 90s to triple digits.

Rain on Friday over the upper Midwest and on Saturday for the Northeast should help disperse some of the smoke. Very heavy smoke is over Duluth, Minnesota, and Marquette, Michigan, on Wednesday morning, and extreme smoke is over northern Wisconsin.

Some heavy smoke will move over New York state and New England by mid-morning, potentially reaching New York City to Boston by 2 p.m. ET. By sunset on Wednesday, the smoke may reach from Buffalo to New York City and Philadelphia — streaming through Green Bay, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, Detroit, and Toronto.

Conditions in New York City are not expected to be as intense as they were in June 2026 when smoke from the Canadian wildfires turned skies orange. Hazy skies are expected in New York, and air quality will likely become unhealthy. Smoky conditions could, however, be bad on Thursday from Duluth to Green Bay and Marquette, and through much of northern Michigan.

Cleveland, Columbus, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C., will likely see heavy smoke on Thursday. The smoke will be serious for millions and may reach a dangerous level for everyone — not just those with respiratory issues. Air quality alerts are in place from Minnesota to New York City, including the entire states of Wisconsin and Michigan.

Extreme Heat Continues

Extreme heat is inundating much of the country. Temperature along the East Coast from Washington, D.C., to New York City could climb to near 100 degrees on Wednesday. Heat indices, or what the temperature feels like with humidity, will make it feel like 104 degrees in New York City, 105 in the nation’s capital, and up to 107 in Philadelphia.

The hottest day of the of the Northeast heat spell is likely going to be on Wednesday, with cooler temperatures moving from north to south in the coming days. Minneapolis remains under an extreme heat warning through Thursday, with the heat index there expected to be near 100.

Meanwhile, flash flooding is expected to continue in Texas Hill Country, where 6- to-16 inches of rain have already fallen this week, prompting numerous water rescues. The flooding threat in parts of West Texas is at a rare 4 out of 4 level and an additional 6- to-12 inches of rain are expected in the region, specifically in the cites of Loma Alta, Uvalde, and San Antonio.

Multiple witnesses spotted a tornado touch down near San Antonio on Wednesday morning. There were no immediate reports of damage.