Canadian wildfire smoke over the Great Lakes & Northeast — July 2026

Roughly 800 active Canadian wildfires, plus a flare-up of the northeast Minnesota / Boundary Waters fires (a peacetime emergency was declared in Minnesota), are pushing dense smoke across the Great Lakes and Northeast. New York City hit an AQI near 177 — the worst in the US on July 15 — with Boston around 130, Minneapolis around 129, and Chicago near 110.

Forecasts run Unhealthy to Very Unhealthy, with possible Hazardous hourly readings in the western Upper Peninsula, through at least Friday, July 17. If you're in the affected area: keep windows closed, run a purifier or a DIY box-fan filter, and check whether it's safe to be outside before exercising.