Canadian Wildfire Smoke Set to Blanket Pacific Northwest on Fourth of July

Skies over the Pacific Northwest will be filled with more than just fireworks this Fourth of July.

That's because smoke from the more than 500 wildfires raging across Canada is set to blanket the region, which has been primarily insulated from the suffocating haze this summer.

A detailed map of smoke patterns made by BlueSky Canada and the University of British Columbia shows that on July Fourth, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, Canada will all be under a cloud of smoke.

According to the forecast, once the smoke arrives in the northwest, it will linger until at least Wednesday.

The smoke will also snake down to Idaho and Great Plains region Tuesday, where cities like Helena, Montana, and Grand Forks, North Dakota can expect unhealthy air.

By Wednesday, the smoke will travel back to Minnesota, Ohio, New Jersey, eastern New York and practically all of New England, according to the forecasters.

However, the smoke is not expected to cause the same air quality problems that plagued 100 million Americans last week.

Along with Canadian Smoke, Washington is dealing with his own wildfire along the Columbia River in the Southwestern part of the state. The fire has grown to 533 acres and prompted evacuations in Skamania County Sunday.

"We have to learn to live with fire and smoke, that’s the new reality,” said Canadian fire scientist Mike Flannigan of Thompson Rivers University in British Columbia.

AccuWeather Meteorologist Joseph Bauer said the smoke won't be going away soon, and Americans can expect its re-emergence throughout July.  

"The general pattern through at least the middle portion of the month is supportive of having more episodes of smoke enter the Midwest and Northeast from Canada," he said.

With The Associated Press.