Wildfires have burned a record of 20 million acres across Canada so far this year, with no end in sight. There are currently 500 active wildfires throughout the country and more than 250 have been deemed out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center. The smoke has been making its way to the U.S. for over a month.
Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Jun 29, 2023, 5:20 AM EDT
Videos show Canadian wildfire smoke casting haze over US cities
Videos verified by ABC News show smoke from Canada's wildfires casting a haze over several U.S. cities on Wednesday.
One video, taken by a driver and posted on Twitter, shows the wildfire smoke hanging over a highway near Lawrenceburg, Indiana, as the state and much of the Midwest were under air quality alerts.
Lawrenceburg is located some 100 miles southeast of Indianapolis, near the state border with Ohio and Kentucky. The city is about 25 miles west of Cincinnati, Ohio.
-ABC News' Matthew Holroyd
Jun 28, 2023, 6:05 PM EDT
Over 100 million Americans under air quality alerts
Air quality alerts remain in effect for more than 100 million Americans across the Midwest and into the Northeast Wednesday evening, as wildfire smoke from neighboring Canada blankets large swaths of the United States.
Air quality alerts remain in effect for more than 100 million Americans across the Midwest into the Northeast Wednesday evening.
ABC News
Hard-hit Chicago, Detroit and Minneapolis remain among the top five places in the world with the worst air quality as of Wednesday evening.
Near-surface smoke is expected to stretch from Wisconsin to Kentucky and into the Carolinas Wednesday evening.
ABC News
The near-surface smoke is expected to stretch from Wisconsin to Kentucky and into the Carolinas Wednesday evening. Some of the smoke will likely make its way into the mid-Atlantic overnight. Pittsburgh to Syracuse are forecast to see hazy, smoky skies and poor air quality Wednesday night.
Near-surface smoke is expected to move east through Thursday.
ABC News
Through Thursday, the smoke is expected to move out of the Midwest and linger farther east but not be as heavy. No significant smoke issues are forecast at this time for major Northeast cities, including New York City.
-ABC News' Melissa Griffin
Jun 28, 2023, 1:10 PM EDT
Air quality health advisory issued in New York
While the poor air quality is mostly hovering over the Midwest, the dangerous smoke is also drifting toward the East Coast.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has expanded Wednesday's air quality health advisory to include the entire state.
"Air in Western New York, Central New York, and the Eastern Lake Ontario regions is forecast to be 'Unhealthy,'" Hochul's office said. "The forecast for the remainder of the state, including New York City and Long Island, is 'Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups.'"
Jun 28, 2023, 12:39 PM EDT
Chicago's Air Quality Alert in effect until Wednesday night
In Chicago, where the Air Quality Index is in the "very unhealthy" category, an Air Quality Alert is in effect until Wednesday night.
A plane taxis to the runway as smoke from wildfires in Canada reduces visibility, June 28, 2023, at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago.
Joshua A. Bickel/AP
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is urging "particularly sensitive populations, including individuals with heart or lung disease, older adults, pregnant people, and young children" to avoid outdoor activities.
Camps have been moved indoors where possible, the mayor said, and he's encouraging "Chicagoans without access to properly ventilated and safe indoor conditions" to "please utilize our public libraries, senior centers, Park District facilities, and the Cultural Center or the six community service centers that operate from 9am-5pm."
