Kansas sees smoky, hazy skies Monday due to Canadian wildfires
TOPEKA (KSNT) - Smoke from wildfires in Canada is being pulled towards the Plains and the Midwest, creating hazy conditions in Kansas.
According to 27 News Meteorologist Ely Millard, an area of low pressure centered near New England is pulling smoke from wildfires in Canada into Kansas. He said that a storm system that is expected to move in tonight could clear a lot of the smoke out.
Wildfire smoke was also causing moderate air quality in Montana, Nebraska and Kansas.
As of Saturday, about 17,000 in Manitoba had been evacuated, as well as roughly 1,300 in Alberta and 8,000 in Saskatchewan. Leaders there have warned that the number of evacuees could rise.
At the "unhealthy" level, the EPA warns that some may experience health effects, while those who are considered more sensitive — children, the elderly, those who are pregnant, and those with health complications — may experience more serious health effects.
The EPA's AirNow page forecast for Monday suggests the smoke could move slightly east, bringing a greater impact to much of Minnesota and Wisconsin and the northern portion of Iowa. Air quality could drop to "unhealthy for sensitive groups" in those areas.
In southeastern Wisconsin, from Sheboygan to the Illinois border, air quality could reach the "unhealthy level," the fourth of six levels used by the EPA's AirNow site.
“We should expect at least a couple more rounds of Canadian smoke to come through the U.S. over the next week,” said Bryan Jackson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in the U.S.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said ongoing hot, dry weather is allowing some fires to grow and threaten communities, and resources to fight the fires and support the evacuees are stretched thin.
“The next four to seven days are absolutely critical until we can find our way to changing weather patterns, and ultimately a soaking rain throughout the north,” Moe said at a Saturday news conference.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.