These states could see smoky, hazy skies Monday due to Canadian wildfires

(NEXSTAR) — Thousands of residents in Canada have been evacuated due to dozens of active wildfires that are also diminishing air quality in parts of the U.S.

As of Saturday, about 17,000 in Manitoba had been evacuated, as well as roughly 1,300 in Alberta and 8,000 in Saskatchewan. Leaders there have warned that the number of evacuees could rise.

Those who have not needed to evacuate, and others living thousands of miles away, are still feeling the impacts of the wildfires.

As of Sunday afternoon, swaths of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa were experiencing “unhealthy” air quality levels, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow page.

At the “unhealthy” level, the EPA warns that some may experience health effects, while those who are considered more sensitive — children, the elderly, those who are pregnant, and those with health complications — may experience more serious health effects.

Wildfire smoke was also causing moderate air quality in Montana, Nebraska, and Kansas.

The EPA’s AirNow page forecast for Monday suggests the smoke could move slightly east, bringing a greater impact to much of Minnesota and Wisconsin and the northern portion of Iowa. Air quality could drop to “unhealthy for sensitive groups” in those areas.

In southeastern Wisconsin, from Sheboygan to the Illinois border, air quality could reach the “unhealthy level,” the fourth of six levels used by the EPA’s AirNow site.

States throughout the Midwest and into the Ohio Valley — including Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia — could also experience moderate air quality on Monday, according to the EPA forecast.

It could be a while before those with hazy skies see any relief.

“We should expect at least a couple more rounds of Canadian smoke to come through the U.S. over the next week,” said Bryan Jackson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in the U.S.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said ongoing hot, dry weather is allowing some fires to grow and threaten communities, and resources to fight the fires and support the evacuees are stretched thin.

“The next four to seven days are absolutely critical until we can find our way to changing weather patterns, and ultimately a soaking rain throughout the north,” Moe said at a Saturday news conference.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.