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A recent wildfire outbreak across western Ontario, Canada is sending thick plumes of smoke toward the Great Lakes and Northeast through Thursday, bringing extremely hazardous air quality and potentially some orange skies reminiscent of the Mars-like skies that enveloped New York City in June 2023.

The smoke has been contained north of the Great Lakes so far, but a shift in the winds heading into Wednesday will allow it to pour into the Lower 48 and could reach the Interstate 95 corridor by the evening.

In fact, smoky skies and a fiery, orange-hued sun have already blanketing portions of Upstate New York and Massachusetts and Vermont on Tuesday.

According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, 32 wildfires sparked across mostly western Ontario on Monday, with 46 wildfires burning out of control across the province.

The Camp Fire in Lake County jumped its containment lines Monday, triggering local evacuations.

The biggest declines in air quality are expected where the thickest smoke concentrates near the ground.

"Under the thickest bands of the plume, reduced visibility is possible, and air quality will likely become very unhealthy if the latest computer forecast models hold true," the FOX Forecast Center said.

"While much of the smoke is forecast to remain elevated high in the atmosphere, there is a growing signal that we could see a 6-to-8-hour window with smoke settling closer to the ground."

https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/thick-smoke-from-canadian-minnesota-wildfires-send-air-quality-plummeting-across-new-england