For the third or fourth time this year, air quality in Maine is being affected by wildfires in Canada, according to the National Weather Service in Caribou.
This time, the smoke affecting northern and eastern Maine is coming from British Columbia and western Alberta.
“The smoke is being channeled northward somewhat over Hudson Bay and then it’s being looped through northern and central Quebec and down through northern Maine that way,” said Victor J. Nouhan, lead forecaster at Climate Focal Points for the National Weather Service in Caribou.
The Maine Department of Environmental Protection hasn’t issued an air quality alert yet, but the National Weather Service in Caribou released a special statement advising people with breathing difficulties to not do activities outdoors until the smoke clears.
Unlike the previous smoke episode, the smoke is above the ground with a faintly noticeable smell. Previous episodes that occurred earlier in the season originated from Quebec and eastern Ontario and came with air quality alerts like the episode in May 2023.
The smoke is forecasted into Wednesday, with the plume predicted to thin out by Thursday.
