A steady stream of smoke from nearly 1,000 Canadian wildfires has prompted air quality warnings for large swaths of the United States and will continue into Tuesday, forecasters warned Monday.
Smoke from the Canadian wildfires will “be in the picture” through Tuesday, the National Weather Service forecast, as winds from the Canadian prairies continue to blow heavy smoke into the northern High Plains, Midwest, Great Lakes, middle Tennessee, North Carolina and North Carolina. Northeast.
“Smoke concentrations should decrease in parts of the Heartland on Tuesday, but could still result in poor air quality along the East Coast,” meteorologist Peter Mullinaux wrote.
In Cleveland, the air quality index reached 159 early Monday morning, putting the city’s air firmly in the unhealthy red zone. Chicago at 154 and Pittsburgh at 151 weren’t much better and Indianapolis was at an unhealthy 143.
More than 80 million Americans face heat notices
The smog warning comes as more than 80 million Americans faced heat-related weather warnings Monday morning. Triple-digit temperatures are set to affect residents from Texas to California, the weather service said.
There are heat advisories, watches and warnings Affected nearly 100 million people, or nearly one-third of Americans, have been hit by summer heat across the country for the past 30 days. Temperatures in some desert areas are forecast to climb above 120 degrees during the day and stay in the 90s overnight. This week, temperatures in the Southwest are forecast to range from 100-110 degrees, with parts of California, Nevada and Arizona nearing 115.
“Record heat is expected every day by midweek across the Four Corners States (Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico), from Texas to the Lower Mississippi Valley and southern Florida,” Mullinax wrote. “Daytime highs will be in the triple digits in the desert southwest and deep into the heart of Texas.”
California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Oklahoma and Florida have heat advisories, extreme heat warnings and extreme heat watches in place.
Northeast may see further flooding
According to the National Weather Service, high levels of moisture in the air, combined with a slow-moving cold front from the west, will bring heavy rain and storms to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Soils in the northeast are already highly saturated with water following severe flooding Pennsylvania, New York and Vermont last week, according to the National Weather Service. This has increased the risk of flooding in those areas.
The Weather Forecast Center (WPC) has issued a moderate flood risk for the New England area. Residents should be aware of impassable roads, overflowing creeks and mudslides. All states from Virginia to Maine are included in the low risk area. High winds can also increase the risk of tornadoes.
Bucks County, Pennsylvania, floods leave 5 dead, 2 missing
“It’s very possible,” Bucks County Coroner Meredith Buck told the Bucks County Courier-Times, part of the USA Today Network.
Heavy rainfall in the Great Plains
The southern and central High Plains and the middle and lower Mississippi Valley will experience showers and thunderstorms through Monday morning, resulting in a small risk of flash flooding. There is also a risk of hail in central Kansas.
US Weather Watch and Warnings
National Weather Radar
Contributed by: Joe Chiavaglia, Michael Haddon, Liam Price, J. Stas is hot; Associate Press
