Smoke from Canadian wildfires spreads far and wide

USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey says a cold front will keep smoke moving east and hopefully clear some smoke sitting over the north-central United States.

Wildfires in Canada have burned nearly 6.5 million acres of land and forced thousands of evacuations. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Meteorologist Brad Rippey says the smoke is now impacting conditions here in the United States.

“Some of that smoke has been at ground level and has resulted in significant degradations in air quality, very thick, heavy haze, and some visibility reductions,” Rippey said on a call with media this week. “And so [that could affect] folks with sensitivity to particulate matter, as that has been a problem for several days across the north-central United States. Now with that cold front moving in, that is helping to push that smoke east, most of it aloft. But at the same time, for example, Tuesday morning we are seeing quite a ribbon of smoke extending from around Lake Superior, southwestward into eastern Nebraska, along with and ahead of that cold front.”

Rippey says a cold front will keep moving east and hopefully clear some of the smoke. However, he did say the smoke also caused some very bright sunrises and sunsets across much of the U.S. this week.

Related Stories
Shaun Haney, host of RealAg Radio, joined us to break down the latest data on Canadian farmland values and share insights on how it impacts producers.
Key signs of the U.S. beef herd’s recovery are improved pasture conditions, lower feed costs, and increased regulatory alignment and support for producers to implement targeted grazing practices.
Dr. Mark Svoboda with the National Drought Mitigation Center discusses a new global drought report and resources to help operations increase drought resilience.
Higher tariffs may shield some U.S. crops but risk retaliation, lost markets, and higher costs for growers. The WTO disputes highlight the fragile balance between trade policy, farm exports, and input supply chains.
American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) economist Danny Munch explains how the Emergency Livestock Relief Program application process differs from other USDA aid programs.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today issued a new memorandum to modernize and strengthen America’s wildfire prevention and response system.
U.S. producers are holding off on equipment investments amid financial pressure, market uncertainty, a rising demand for diesel, and growing desperation for trade wins.