Wildfire smoke leads to air quality issues for 160 million from Midwest to Northeast

Canadian wildfire smoke chokes skies from Midwest to New England

Air quality concerns continue to expand from the Upper Midwest through the Great Lakes region and into the Northeast and New England as wildfire smoke from Canada drifts southward into the U.S. FOX 6 Milwaukee Reporter Bowen Kedrowicz has more from Milwaukee on Aug. 4, 2025.

MILWAUKEE – Air quality concerns continue to expand from the Upper Midwest through the Great Lakes region and into the Northeast and New England as wildfire smoke from Canada drifts southward into the U.S.

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The thick plumes of smoke in Canada are being driven southward into the U.S. by northerly winds on the backside of an area of high pressure.

The FOX Forecast Center said the wildfire smoke has settled closer to the surface, resulting in widespread reductions in air quality.

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The highest concentrations of Canadian wildfire smoke have been located in Wisconsin, including Milwaukee, and Michigan, with air quality index values ranging from Unhealthy to Very Unhealthy across the region.

Watch: Canadian wildfire smoke leads to hazy sky in Boston area

A video shared from Cambridge, Massachusetts, shows hazy skies due to Canadian wildfire smoke drifting into the U.S.

That smoke has now moved into areas of the Northeast and New England, with cities along the heavily traveled Interstate 95 corridor like New York City, Philadelphia and Boston on alert for unhealthy air quality levels.

Watch: Milwaukee sky filled with Canadian wildfire smoke

A video shared by FOX 6 Milwaukee shows a hazy sky on Friday, Aug. 1, due to wildfire smoke drifting into the U.S. from Canada.

In fact, about 160 million people from the Upper Midwest to northern New England are under an air quality alert.

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The entire states of Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Delaware, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine are all under an air quality alert.

Portions of northern Indiana, northern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Vermont have also been placed under an air quality alert.