Smoke from wildfires in western Canada was expected to reach Western Pennsylvania on Monday afternoon and hang around for a day or two, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Myranda Fullerton.
The smoke showed up on weather radar over Michigan on Sunday.
If you look across Michigan, you won't see clouds on the satellite image, you'll be seeing smoke. This is an image that @NWSMarquette posted yesterday afternoon showing the extensive smoke cover. With our winds having an easterly component, this should limit smoke potential here. pic.twitter.com/xwrsUl9ztP
— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) July 8, 2019
Wildfires burning in Alberta have destroyed more than 700,000 acres of land. More than 11,000 people have been forced to evacuate, according to ClickOnDetroit.
National Weather Service meteorologists initially did not think the smoke would reach Western Pennsylvania, but that changed. It was expected to reach northern Pennsylvania counties including Mercer, Venango and Forest by noon, Fullerton said.
The skies will get hazy or milky as a result. The smoke is not expected to have any other significant impacts, aloft or at ground level, she said.
Many people are asking us what the upcoming smoke will mean for our air quality. We're not the air quality experts, but here are the air quality index forecasts. Yellow is moderate (category 2 of 6), so it does not appear there will be much difference later today. pic.twitter.com/PNV586orR4
— NWS Pittsburgh (@NWSPittsburgh) July 8, 2019
“We’re not anticipating any concerns from this,” she said. “It’s just something interesting.”
The smoke could be present for a day or so before changes in the atmosphere clears it out, Fullerton said.
