• Posted July 15, 2026

Wildfire Smoke Puts Millions At Risk Across Midwest, Northeast

Millions of people across the Midwest and Northeast are breathing dangerous air this week as heavy smoke from wildfires in Canada and Minnesota spreads across the region.

Minnesota officials issued an air quality alert running Tuesday through Friday for areas including the Twin Cities metro area, Alexandria and Two Harbors, according to the Associated Press. 

Air quality in Two Harbors, the Tribal Nation of Grand Portage and other parts of northeastern Minnesota was expected to reach hazardous levels — unsafe for everyone, not just vulnerable groups.

The smoke is moving fast. By Wednesday afternoon, it was expected to push into Milwaukee, Detroit, northern Pennsylvania and parts of the New England coast, according to AP News. 

Counties in western and central New York were under an air quality advisory through midnight Wednesday, and the thickest smoke could reach as far south as Washington, D.C., by midday Thursday.

Officials in Michigan and Wisconsin warned residents Tuesday that air quality problems could last for days, reports AP News. In parts of Maine, residents described yellow and brown skies.

The danger comes from fine particle pollution, which can trigger shortness of breath, coughing, dizziness and fatigue and worsen heart and lung disease. 

The smoke is arriving alongside extreme heat, and people should stay indoors as much as possible, said Tyler Hasenstein, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

"Those two things coinciding with each other is not good from a health perspective," he told AP News.

Wildfire smoke is a mix of gases and fine particles from burning trees, plants, buildings and other material, and it can travel far from where the fires burn, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Breathing it in can cause coughing, wheezing, asthma attacks, stinging eyes, scratchy throat, headaches, chest pain and a fast heartbeat.

Anyone can get sick, but risk runs higher for children, pregnant people, emergency responders and people with chronic conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, chronic kidney disease or heart disease, the CDC says.

Drought and heat have set the stage. The combination has spawned "a perfect storm for really dry conditions to provide a lot of fuel for these wildfires to burn," Dan Westervelt, an associate professor at Columbia University's Climate School in Palisades, New York, told AP News. 

Warming temperatures are making wildfires more frequent and intense.

To limit exposure, experts advise cutting back or skipping outdoor activities, wearing an N95 mask outside, keeping windows closed and running an air purifier or air conditioner, reports AP News. 

Long-term exposure to fine particulate matter from wildfire smoke is tied to premature death.

More information

Visit the National Institutes of Health for more information about protecting yourself from wildfire smoke.

SOURCE: AP News, July 15, 2026