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The weather pattern that's helped funnel thick, hazardous wildfire smoke down from Canada will continue to plague the central and eastern U.S. over the next several days, forecasters said, with only a brief break on Saturday, July 18, in some locations.Due to the heavy smoke, air quality alerts have been issued for millions of people, including across all of Delaware, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the National Weather Service said.More than 800 wildfires are still burning across Canada, including dozens that are out of control across western Ontario, the source of most of the smoke, AccuWeather said July 17.Short-term relief in the NortheastSome folks will get a brief break from the smoke on Saturday, July 18, as "showers and thunderstorms are likely Saturday afternoon and evening [July 18] in the Ohio Valley and much of the Northeast, helping to clean the air of smoke particles in those areas," said Weather.com senior meteorologist Jonathan Erdman in an online forecast.However, some of the storms could reach severe levels, the Storm Prediction Center said: "Severe thunderstorms are expected across portions of the Ohio Valley and Lower Great Lakes into the mid-Atlantic, mainly Saturday afternoon into the evening. Some threat may linger into late Saturday night," the SPC said.Where it's not raining, NOAA's Weather Prediction Center said that hot and humid conditions are expected to persist across the Great Lakes and northern Plains for several days, with daily highs in the 90s to lower 100s expected.What about the World Cup final game?"Unfortunately, model forecasts suggest two more southward plunges of smoke could happen starting Saturday [July 18] in the northern Great Lakes," Edrman said. "By Sunday [July 19], that smoke could spread as far south as the Ohio Valley and possibly again invade parts of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast."However, in the New York City area, the skies look to be clear and smoke-free for the World Cup final game on Sunday, July 19, in New Jersey, the National Weather Service said.Erdman said another round of smoke could nosedive southward through the Midwest beginning Tuesday and could make it into parts of the South by mid- to late next week.How to stay smoke-safeAccording to AccuWeather, people are encouraged to limit time outdoors amid the poor air quality, especially those in sensitive groups.Spending time outdoors and exercising could increase the risk of impacts, including difficulty breathing, throat irritation and itchy eyes."Make sure to keep pets indoors to limit their exposure to poor air quality," AccuWeather meteorologist Breanna Grill added.The smoke can also limit temperatures amid an ongoing heat dome, and where the smoke is not as thick in the sky, create vivid sunrises and sunsets, AccuWeather said.Doyle Rice is a national correspondent for USA TODAY, with a focus on weather and climate.
