Environmental Glance
More than 830 wildfires are burning across Canada, with over 100 considered out of control, as smoke from the blazes in northwestern Ontario and neighboring regions spreads into parts of the Midwest and Northeast.
Millions of Americans are under air quality alerts through the end of the week, with officials warning that smoke could reach unhealthy levels in several major cities.
The 2026 wildfire season has been less active than the record-breaking seasons of 2023 and 2025 overall, but CanadMany of the wildfires affecting air quality concerns in the Northeast are burning in Ontario, Canada, as well as Minnesota and nearby regions, according to AccuWeather and Canadian wildfire maps. Smoke from those fires has spread across the Great Lakes and is forecasted to move toward New Jersey and the Northeast.ian officials say fire danger is expected to increase as summer continues.
Many of the wildfires affecting air quality concerns in the Northeast are burning in Ontario, Canada, as well as Minnesota and nearby regions, according to AccuWeather and Canadian wildfire maps. Smoke from those fires has spread across the Great Lakes and is forecasted to move toward New Jersey and the Northeast.
Air quality conditions are expected to gradually improve across parts of the U.S. as wildfire smoke shifts and disperses. Some areas of the Midwest and Great Lakes could see relief by Friday, while smoke may continue affecting parts of the Northeast into Friday and Saturday. Communities near the Canadian fires could see lingering impacts into the weekend as long as fires continue burning and winds keep transporting smoke south.
A key government agency is proposing to lessen the scope of environmental reviews for nuclear reactors, limiting public input and exempting some reactors altogether.
Lake Powell, the US’s second-largest reservoir, threatens to plunge to unprecedentedly low levels this year after a historically bleak snowpack failed to raise its water level, scientists and water experts have said, adding renewed urgency to stalled talks over how to conserve a water source depended on by tens of millions of people in the US south-west.
Super Typhoon Bavi is bringing intense winds to the remote U.S. territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, as forecasters warn of the potential for severe damage.
A “prolonged, dangerous heatwave” was sweeping across parts of the central and eastern United States on Thursday, with forecasters warning that extreme record-breaking temperatures are expected to continue into the holiday weekend for millions of Americans.
Floodwaters tore through Kentucky neighborhoods, damaging homes and streets as photos capture the aftermath.
