Smoke continues to cover large swathes of US as Canada fires rage

Poor air quality caused by Canadian wildfires has continued to affect large swathes of North America, with nearly a third of United States residents warned of unhealthy conditions.

Air quality warnings on Thursday stretched from Wisconsin and northern Illinois across Michigan and into New York and the East Coast, according to the US National Weather Service.Poor air quality caused by Canadian wildfires has continued to affect large swathes of North America, with nearly a third of United States residents warned of unhealthy conditions.

Air quality warnings on Thursday stretched from Wisconsin and northern Illinois across Michigan and into New York and the East Coast, according to the US National Weather Service.Poor air quality caused by Canadian wildfires has continued to affect large swathes of North America, with nearly a third of United States residents warned of unhealthy conditions.

Air quality warnings on Thursday stretched from Wisconsin and northern Illinois across Michigan and into New York and the East Coast, according to the US National Weather Service.The weather conditions that have caused the smoke to concentrate over large swathes of the US are also unlikely to change in the coming days, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Prediction Center (WPC).

And while temporary respite could come as low-pressure systems cycle through the area, meteorologist Bryan Jackson told the Associated Press news agency, that shift is likely to be accompanied by the deadly hot temperatures and high humidity that has afflicted the US south in recent days.

Jackson pointed to St Louis, Missouri, which had two days of unhealthy air Tuesday and Wednesday, and said that for Thursday “they’ll get an improvement of air quality with the very hot and humid heat”.The forecast for the city is for temperatures that feel like 42.8C (109F) – with 38.3C (101F) heat and stifling humidity.

It’s a pattern that’s likely to repeat as long as the Canadian fires continue to burn.

“Pick your poison,” WPC forecast operations chief Greg Carbin told the news agency. “The conditions are not going to be very favorable.”