United States: Wildfire smoke from Canada reached the eastern US on Wednesday, making air quality worse in many of the Midwestern states that were previously declared unhealthy by the government.
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Because of the fires, thousands of people in Canada had to leave their houses, and the smoke reached as far as Europe.
From Kansas City to Minneapolis, communities in the US were covered by smoke, and according to the Environmental Protection Agency map, a wide area had unhealthy air on Wednesday.
Wisconsin Nature’s Garden Preschool classes in Stoughton were held inside on Wednesday because the poor air interfered with their plans, which assistant teacher Bailey Pollard commented on, US News reported.
This #TimelapseTuesday, we're taking a look at this imagery from @NOAA’s #GOESEast 🛰️ as thick #smoke from Canadian #wildfires has been drifting across the eastern U.S. from May 31 to June 2, 2025. #AirQuality Alerts cover much of the Upper Midwest today. Latest:… pic.twitter.com/PP4Jc8dbUH
— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) June 3, 2025
He saw the smoke rise, and it gave him the feeling of an approaching storm.
Usually, the 16 or 17 children between 12 weeks and 5 years would enjoy the open space by running and playing with water toys, balls, and slides, but instead, they were doing crafts with Play-Doh inside.
It was not a good situation for kids, said Pollard, because they should be able to play outside and breathe fresh air.
“It’s something where we’ve got to take precaution for the kids,” he stated. “Nobody wants to stay inside all day.”
Early Thursday, Iowa released an air quality alert for the state and asked people to avoid activities outdoors to protect their health because of the smoke, as US News reported.
Officials in Wisconsin made the same recommendations as the smoke drifted through the southeast area.
In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, officials told people to keep their windows closed at night, refrain from extreme physical activity outdoors, and watch for problems with breathing.