Wildfire smoke updates: CDC issues health alert on wildfire smoke exposure
The smoke is forecast to dissipate over the weekend.
Millions of Americans are on alert for unhealthy air quality as smoke from wildfires in neighboring Canada drifts to the United States.
Wildfires have burned a record of 20 million acres across Canada so far this year, with no end in sight. There are currently 500 active wildfires throughout the country and more than 250 have been deemed out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center. The smoke has been making its way to the U.S. for over a month.
Latest headlines:
23 US states under air quality alerts as wildfire smoke blankets Midwest, rolls into Northeast
As of Thursday morning, 23 U.S. states are under air quality alerts from the Midwest to parts of the South and into the Northeast where wildfire smoke from neighboring Canada is creating hazy skies.
The worst-affected areas are currently from Wisconsin down to Tennessee and up to Virginia and even parts of Pennsylvania.
As the day develops, plumes of smoke are expected to linger over the Great Lakes, the Ohio Valley and into the Appalachian Mountains. Some smoke might even make its way into the Mid-Atlantic and parts of New Jersey.
New York City will be largely spared from the heaviest smoke. An air quality alert was issued there only as a precaution. Most of the day will be sunny with perhaps a touch of haze due to the smoke nearby.
Videos show Canadian wildfire smoke casting haze over US cities
Videos verified by ABC News show smoke from Canada's wildfires casting a haze over several U.S. cities on Wednesday.
One video, taken by a driver and posted on Twitter, shows the wildfire smoke hanging over a highway near Lawrenceburg, Indiana, as the state and much of the Midwest were under air quality alerts.
Lawrenceburg is located some 100 miles southeast of Indianapolis, near the state border with Ohio and Kentucky. The city is about 25 miles west of Cincinnati, Ohio.
-ABC News' Matthew Holroyd
Over 100 million Americans under air quality alerts
Air quality alerts remain in effect for more than 100 million Americans across the Midwest and into the Northeast Wednesday evening, as wildfire smoke from neighboring Canada blankets large swaths of the United States.
Hard-hit Chicago, Detroit and Minneapolis remain among the top five places in the world with the worst air quality as of Wednesday evening.
The air quality alerts are mainly for people in sensitive groups who have upper respiratory issues.
The near-surface smoke is expected to stretch from Wisconsin to Kentucky and into the Carolinas Wednesday evening. Some of the smoke will likely make its way into the mid-Atlantic overnight. Pittsburgh to Syracuse are forecast to see hazy, smoky skies and poor air quality Wednesday night.
Through Thursday, the smoke is expected to move out of the Midwest and linger farther east but not be as heavy. No significant smoke issues are forecast at this time for major Northeast cities, including New York City.
-ABC News' Melissa Griffin
Air quality health advisory issued in New York
While the poor air quality is mostly hovering over the Midwest, the dangerous smoke is also drifting toward the East Coast.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has expanded Wednesday's air quality health advisory to include the entire state.
"Air in Western New York, Central New York, and the Eastern Lake Ontario regions is forecast to be 'Unhealthy,'" Hochul's office said. "The forecast for the remainder of the state, including New York City and Long Island, is 'Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups.'"
CDC issues health alert on wildfire smoke exposure
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday issued a health alert on wildfire smoke exposure.
People are urged to watch out for symptoms including: headache, eye irritation, trouble breathing, coughing, wheezing, chest pain, palpitations and fatigue.
The smoke on Friday is stretching from the eastern Great Lakes to the Interstate 95 travel corridor and down to parts of the Southeast.
The Air Quality Index in New York City hit 169 Thursday afternoon, which falls under the "unhealthy" category. Any number over 100 is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups.