These satellite images from June 6, from top left, June 7, June 25, and June 27, 2023, show the wind movement from wildfire smoke in Quebec, Canada. NASA Worldview, (EOSDIS) via AP
Maine is expected to largely avoid poor air quality caused by Canadian wildfires in the near future, but some parts of the state Friday could get a little hazy as the air quality is downgraded from “good” to “moderate.”
Dense smoke from the wildfires migrated east to New York, Pennsylvania, and the Mid-Atlantic on Wednesday, prompting air quality alerts and warnings about increased health risks for the general public. The smoke was widespread across the Upper Midwest, the Ohio Valley, and the Great Lakes on Tuesday.
The smoke is expected to move into the Gulf of Maine and continue northward Friday, according to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
The Bureau of Air Quality says the smoke will mostly be contained to the western part of the state. But meteorologists will continue to watch for recirculating smoke as well as direct smoke from the 72 fires burning in Quebec, the bureau said in a special status update Thursday afternoon.
Because there are so many variables affecting smoke, meteorologists typically won’t issue a forecast beyond the next day.
On Thursday afternoon, the weather service predicted that Maine will see low levels of particle pollution from smoke moving from south to north on Friday. Air quality was expected to be moderate for the western mountains, western interior and southwest coast because of particulate pollution, and a “limited health notice” has been issued in those areas for Friday.
According to the bureau, sensitive people should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion and watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath.
Martha Webster, an air quality meteorologist for the department, said there could be hours when the smoke is high enough for the sky to appear hazy, but it should not impact visibility from the ground. Ozone levels were expected to be moderate along the southwest coast and at high elevations in Acadia National Park on Friday.
Air quality in the rest of the state is expected to be in the “good” range, according to the bureau.
So far, Maine has avoided the serious air quality issues that have plagued other states, but Webster said that Sunday she did issue an orange health notice warning that the air was “unhealthy for sensitive groups.”
The bureau posts daily updates on its website and encourages people to check regularly for updates.
Staff Writer Hannah LaClaire contributed to this report.
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