Another Round of Canadian Wildfire Smoke Arrives in Central Illinois

A sight not all that often seen around Central Illinois: hazy skies and low-quality air owing to immense wildfire smoke being carried over by the wind… at least it used to not be seen often. This summer has been far from normal in many regards in terms of weather, however, and this will not be our first rodeo with the wildfire smoke.

The last time we saw thick smoke from Canada, the source was raging, out-of-control fires burning across parts of Ontario and Quebec. A northeast wind pattern brought the polluted air from those fires over here to Central Illinois, where it was able to mix down closer to the surface owing to cloud-free skies that allowed the sun to heat the air above the ground and begin the vertical motion.

This time, a different region of Canada is the source of the haze. More fires that are ongoing in Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia have produced another thick blanket of smoke. The upper-level pattern will feature a setup that allows…