Out-of-control Canadian wildfires sending smoke into Upper Midwest prompt air quality alerts
Wildfire smoke will drift over cities including Duluth and Minneapolis in Minnesota and Green Bay and Milwaukee in Wisconsin. The Dakotas will also experience some smoke. By Friday night, smoke could move down into Illinois, including Chicago.
Watch: Chaotic video shows man trying to escape raging wildfire in Nova Scotia, Canada
FILE VIDEO: Video recorded in Nova Scotia, Canada, on May 28, 2023, shows a man trying to drive through a raging wildfire in order to escape the flames. At one point in the video, his vehicle nearly slams into another that was stopped on the road but wasn't seen until the last minute due to the thick, black smoke.
MINNEAPOLIS – Extreme wildfires burning in Canada and prompting evacuations are now impacting the U.S., as weather systems will cause smoke to drift southward into areas of Minnesota and Wisconsin in the Upper Midwest late this week.
More than 160 wildfires across Canada have burned more than 1.6 million acres. Fast-moving fires across Saskatchewan and Manitoba triggered evacuations this week.
The fires in Manitoba prompted provincial officials to issue a state of emergency.
Massive fires are sweeping across Saskatchewan, triggering evacuations in areas like Little Bear Lake, Whiteswan, Whelan Bay, and Piprell Lake. This satellite view captures thick smoke blanketing the region as emergency crews battle multiple blazes, highlighting the intensity of Canada's wildfire season. Imaged 26 May 2025. (Photo by Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2025)
"This is the largest evacuation in many Manitobans’ living memory, and this will require significant resources and co-operation from all levels of government," Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said. "I have spoken with the prime minister, and we have asked for the support of the Canadian Armed Forces in transporting evacuees. There are hundreds of people who are mobilized to get you to safety and provide help. This is what Manitobans do, and we will get through this."
The FOX Forecast Center is tracking smoke across the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes through Friday evening. Wildfire smoke will drift over cities including Duluth and Minneapolis in Minnesota and Green Bay and Milwaukee in Wisconsin. The Dakotas will also experience some smoke. By Friday night, smoke could move down into Illinois, including Chicago.
(FOX Weather)
Air quality alerts are in effect for parts of the Upper Midwest, including areas west of Lake Superior to the Canadian border.
The air quality in the Arrowhead of Minnesota is forecast to reach red, or unhealthy, on the air quality index.
When to expect the smoke
According to the National Weather Service, the smoke will drift southeastward with an area of high pressure beginning Thursday morning and could linger near Lake Superior into Friday morning.
On Friday, another round of heavy smoke from wildfires will likely descend into Minnesota behind a cold front.
(FOX Weather)
The situation this week will be less hazardous than what Canada and the northern U.S. experienced nearly two years ago during a devastating Canadian wildfire season.
In June 2023, the wildfires in Canada turned the skies across the Northeast orange and reduced air quality to hazardous – the most extreme rating on the air quality index – for major cities, including New York City, Philadelphia and Washington. The dramatic scene made Manhattan look like a Martian landscape.
However, this likely won’t be the last wildfire smoke from Canada to reach the U.S. this year. Canada’s wildfire season is most active from May through September.
Wildfire smoke shrouds Statue of Liberty as air quality hits 'hazardous' levels
Footage captured by Paul Dousset shows wildfire smoke envelope the Statue of Liberty on Wednesday evening.