Canadian wildfire smoke pushes unhealthy air quality readings into Boston, Northeast

BOSTON -- Smoke from Canadian wildfires pushed into the Northeast Saturday, bringing hazy skies and unhealthy air quality to some spots, including Boston.

Air Quality Alerts cover all of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and eastern New York -- including New York City -- and southern Maine, lasting through much of Saturday.

Boston reported an air quality index as high as 155, which is considered "unhealthy" levels.  Providence, Rhode Island; Hartford, Connecticut and Portland, Maine all had readings at midday Saturday that were unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Hazy skies were spotted in New York City too, though air quality as of midday Saturday was holding in the "moderate" category.

The smoke funneled in behind the same cold front that sparked Friday’s severe storms. Northerly winds, combined with high pressure, helped trap the smoke near the surface, leading to the spike in air quality issues.

The current batch of smoke in New England should push offshore later Saturday as rain moves in from the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley and Sunday looks clear from smoke. However, long-range smoke forecast products indicate smoke may return to New England early next week.

A much stronger cold front is expected to dive south out of Canada and push deep into the central U.S. A large high pressure system will build in behind it, increasing northerly flow once again. A similar setup is likely to unfold, with wildfire smoke returning to parts of the Midwest and Northeast and driving air quality back down to unhealthy levels.

There are currently over 550 fires burning in Canada, burning just over 15 million acres (6.1 million Hectares), according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Nearly all are centered in western and central Canada, but their smoke is being carried east into Ontario, Quebec and into the northern and northeastern U.S. by prevailing wind patterns.