Northwest wildfires bring haze, smoky skies to Ohio and Midwest

Wildfires in the Pacific Northwest and Manitoba, Canada has resulted in hazy, smoky skies in the Midwest and Ohio the last few days.

The National Weather Service in Wilmington confirmed Sunday that haze spotted in the sky was due to wildfire smoke in the atmosphere. The smoke can lead to colorful sunrises and sunsets, but makes stargazing difficult.

Smoky and hazy skies are expected to start clearing up by Thursday, according to NWS.

As of Tuesday, a Widespread Fire Weather Watch and Red Flag Warning remains in effect for large parts of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming and bits of northern California and western North Dakota and South Dakota as dry conditions continue with isolated dry thunderstorms forecasted.

Some states, such as Wisconsin and New York, were placed on Air Quality Alert due to the smoke.

As of Wednesday morning, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow listed most of southwest Ohio’s air quality as moderate, but the Dayton area’s as unhealthy for sensitive groups. People with heart or lung disease, older adults are advised to shorten how long they active outdoors, chose less strenuous activities and wait to be active outside once the air quality improves, according to AirNow.

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