Smoke from raging Canadian wildfires hung over the U.S. Midwest and parts of the East Coast on Wednesday, creating hazy skies and worsening air quality, making for dangerous, unhealthy conditions for millions of Americans.
A wide swath of the Midwest, reaching from western Iowa through Illinois and Wisconsin and into Michigan, was under an air quality alert that was expected to last through the day and into Thursday or even longer, the National Weather Service said.
Forecasters urged people living in those areas, especially children, the elderly and those affected by respiratory illness to limit prolonged or heavy exertion and, if they can, to stay indoors or wear a mask. Canada is wrestling with its worst-ever start to wildfire season, which has already burned 6.5 million hectares , an area a little bigger than West Virginia.
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