NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Millions of people in the Great Lakes, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states muddled through another day of from uncontrolled on Friday, as smoke enveloped the nation鈥檚 capital in a gloomy, eerie haze.
Air quality warnings were expected to remain in effect through Saturday across a wide swath of the U.S., but there鈥檚 potential for temporary relief with rains and storms forecast over a chunk of the affected region over the weekend.
The smoky conditions won’t be gone anytime soon, though, as fires burn unchecked across a remote region of Canada, cautioned Bob Oravec, a lead forecaster at the National Weather Service based in Maryland. Wildfires in a wilderness area in Minnesota are also contributing to the smoke.
鈥淭he source of the smoke is going to continue on for certainly a week, probably,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o in some form, there鈥檚 going to be smoke that gets transported from the fires downstream, and it鈥檚 just going to depend upon which way the wind鈥檚 blowing as to where the smoke is going to affect the most.鈥�
On Friday, communities in Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois closest to the Canadian border and the again registered some of the in the world, according , an air quality monitoring website.
Not far behind them was Washington, D.C., where the thick smoke created . The Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and other national landmarks could be seen enveloped in a thick, orange-hued haze in the morning.
鈥淲ow that Canadian smoke haze is no joke,鈥� Stewart Verdery, a former assistant secretary at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, as he shared a panorama of D.C. at sunrise. 鈥淎lmost nothing visible – no sun, no monuments, no Reagan Airport.鈥�
Air in and around Washington was expected to go from bad to worse as the day progressed, reaching 鈥渧ery unhealthy鈥� and potentially 鈥渉azardous鈥� levels on the air quality index, regional officials said.
People, particularly those with heart or lung disease, older adults and children, were urged to limit or avoid going outside as much as possible until air quality improved.
There was also in the New York City area about how the foul air might impact the World Cup final match between soccer powerhouses Spain and Argentina at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday.
Oravec said winds will continue pushing the wildfire smoke east in the U.S., though conditions should be better on game day Sunday than on Saturday.
Just a day earlier, a thick haze tinged with orange and yellow darkened skies across several states and Manhattan鈥檚 skyline.
Officials from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and other Northeast states distributed free K95 face masks, canceled outdoor programming and opened libraries and other public buildings as cooling centers where people could get a respite from the sooty air.
As Friday progressed, air quality measures improved from 鈥渦nhealthy鈥� to 鈥渕oderate鈥� in some places in and around New York City.
A strong sun broke through a thin veil of smoke, and large chunks of clear blue sky were visible across much of the region by Friday afternoon.
Saturday brings a high chance of thunderstorms across much of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic, which will help dampen the bad air.
How long the reprieve lasts depends on what happens hundreds of miles north, as some 100 wildfires burn without end in sight, largely in the Ontario area in Canada. In the U.S., officials have closed the Boundary Waters while battling multiple fires.
Long-term exposure to smoky conditions can complicate existing health problems and lead to chronic and deadly issues, including respiratory illness, cardiovascular and neurological diseases and premature death.
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