More Canadian wildfire smoke shrouds US midwest, mid-Atlantic and north-east

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>109 million people face another day of poor air quality as smoke from blazes in Ontario drifts over the US</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/feb/17/sign-up-for-the-breaking-news-us-email-to-get-newsletter-alerts-direct-to-your-inbox?utm_medium=ACQUISITIONS_STANDFIRST&amp;utm_campaign=BN22326&amp;utm_content=signup&amp;utm_term=standfirst&amp;utm_source=GUARDIAN_WEB">Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email</a><em> </em></p></li></ul><p>Tens of millions of Americans are enduring another day of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/16/smoke-canadian-wildfires-air-quality">smoky skies</a>, irritated eyes and bad air quality, as Canadian <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/wildfires">wildfire</a> smoke spread again over huge swathes of the US, affecting about 109 million people across the midwest, mid-Atlantic and north-east.</p><p>The pungent wildfire blanketed cities such as Chicago and Detroit, where residents on Friday were warned to stay indoors and reduce activity levels after the air quality index reached a “hazardous” 361, according to the government website <a href="https://www.airnow.gov/?city=Detroit&amp;state=MI&amp;country=USA">AirNow</a>.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jul/17/canada-wildfire-smoke-midwest-mid-atlantic-north-east">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.