Greater than 830 wildfires had been burning in Canada, together with greater than a dozen in northern Minnesota, forcing necessary evacuations and spreading unhealthy smoke right down to the Decrease 48.
A cloudy orange haze was seen blanketing the spires of buildings that make up New York Metropolis’s iconic skyline on Wednesday, with poor air high quality anticipated to proceed by way of Thursday.
Officers issued an Air High quality Well being Advisory for the whole state on Thursday.
Smoke from wildfires in Canada shrouds the view south to decrease Manhattan and One World Commerce Middle, seen from the 86th-floor remark deck of the Empire State Constructing, July 15, 2026, in New York Metropolis.
Gary Hershorn/ABC Information
A few of the largest wildfires are burning in west-central Ontario, consuming thick forests and releasing an unimaginable quantity of smoke.
The wind has directed the smoke into the U.S., creating harmful air high quality for hundreds of thousands throughout the higher Midwest and Northeast on Wednesday and thru the top of the week.
On Wednesday afternoon, air high quality initially reached unhealthy ranges in New York Metropolis and the Jap Lake Ontario area, the Central New York area and components of Western New York, in accordance with air monitoring website AirNow.
Smoke from wildfires in Canada shrouds the view of decrease Manhattan and One World Commerce Middle in New York Metropolis at sundown, July 15, 2026, as seen from Hoboken, New Jersey.
Gary Hershorn/ABC Information
“Air high quality has reached unhealthy ranges in components of NYC as a consequence of smoke from Canadian wildfires,” New York Metropolis Mayor Zohran Mamdani mentioned in a social media statement on Wednesday. “Poor air high quality impacts everybody, however some persons are extra delicate to it than others, together with individuals with coronary heart or lung circumstances, older adults, pregnant New Yorkers, and infants and kids.”
Canadian wildfire smoke as of July 15, 2026
Map Tiles by Google Earth, firesmoke.ca
Mamdani urged New Yorkers to keep away from pointless out of doors actions and to remain inside in an air-conditioned setting. He mentioned the town was providing free masks to assist individuals deal with the smoke.
Smoke from wildfires obscures the view of Niagara Falls, July 15, 2026.
EarthCam
The smoke is coinciding with a coast-to-coast excessive warmth spell. Most of the areas within the Northeast and higher Midwest are anticipated to take the brunt of the Canadian smoke and can see temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday within the excessive 90s to triple digits.
The downtown skyline is roofed by wildfire smoke throughout a warmth wave, as seen from the Toronto Islands on Lake Ontario, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada July 15, 2026.
Kyaw Soe Oo/Reuters
Rain on Friday over the higher Midwest and on Saturday for the Northeast ought to assist disperse among the smoke.
Very heavy smoke is over Duluth, Minnesota, and Marquette, Michigan, on Wednesday morning, and excessive smoke is over northern Wisconsin.
Smoke from wildfires obscures the view of downtown Toronto, July 15, 2026.
EarthCam
Areas of heavy smoke had been sweeping throughout New York state and New England all through Wednesday, reaching New York Metropolis to Boston later within the day.
An ABC Information graphic exhibits the forecast for Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
ABC Information
By sundown on Wednesday, the smoke might attain from Buffalo to New York Metropolis and Philadelphia — streaming by way of Inexperienced Bay, Milwaukee, Grand Rapids, Detroit and Toronto.
Circumstances in New York Metropolis will not be anticipated to be as intense as they were in June 2023 when smoke from the Canadian wildfires turned skies orange.
Smoke rises from an upslope blaze on the north flank of the French Creek Wildfire (K70748), northwest of Cache Creek, British Columbia, Canada July 10, 2026 in an aerial {photograph}.
BC Wildfire Service by way of Reuters
Hazy skies are anticipated in New York and air high quality will doubtless change into unhealthy.
Smoky circumstances might, nonetheless, be dangerous on Thursday from Duluth to Inexperienced Bay and Marquette, and thru a lot of northern Michigan.
An ABC Information graphic exhibits the forecast for Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
ABC Information
Cleveland, Columbus, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., will doubtless see heavy smoke on Thursday.
The smoke might be severe for hundreds of thousands and should attain a harmful degree for everybody — not simply these with respiratory points.
An ABC Information graphic exhibits the forecast for Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
ABC Information
Air high quality alerts are in place from Minnesota to New York Metropolis, together with the whole states of Wisconsin and Michigan.
Harmful warmth continues
Excessive warmth is inundating a lot of the nation. Temperatures alongside the East Coast from Washington, D.C., to New York Metropolis might climb to close 100 levels on Wednesday.
Warmth indices, or what the temperature seems like with humidity, will make it really feel like 104 levels in New York Metropolis, 105 within the nation’s capital, and as much as 107 in Philadelphia.
The most well liked day of the Northeast warmth spell is probably going going to be on Wednesday, with cooler temperatures shifting from north to south within the coming days.
Minneapolis stays underneath an excessive warmth warning by way of Thursday, with the warmth index there anticipated to be close to 100.
Excessive warmth warning issued in Los Angeles
An extreme heat warning was issued within the Los Angeles space on Wednesday and is predicted to remain in impact till Thursday evening as Southern California temperatures soared into the excessive 90s and triple digits.
Los Angeles and Orange counties on Wednesday are anticipated to see a excessive of 96 levels and a low of 69. Excessive temperatures are anticipated to drop to the low-to-mid 80s by Friday and thru the weekend.
California’s San Joaquin Valley was additionally anticipated to hit the century mark on Wednesday, with temperatures in Fresno anticipated to climb to 104 and to 105 in Bakersfield.
Twister touches down in Texas as Hill Nation flooding continues
In the meantime, flash flooding is predicted to proceed in Texas Hill Nation, the place 6- to-16 inches of rain have already fallen this week, prompting quite a few water rescues.
The flooding risk in components of South-Central Texas is at a uncommon 4 out of 4 degree and a further 6- to-12 inches of rain are anticipated within the area, particularly within the cities of Loma Alta, Uvalde and San Antonio. As much as 20 inches of rain iis attainable in some native areas.
A number of witnesses noticed a twister contact down close to San Antonio on Wednesday morning. There have been no speedy stories of injury.
