Canadian Wildfires Contribute to Unhealthy Air

Summer-like heat and humidity have put New Jersey under an Air Quality Alert today with Canada partially to blame.

With temperatures expected to climb into the lower 90s across the state with high humidity, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is warning that the air will be unhealthy for certain groups.

"Those suffering from asthma and other respiratory issues should limit outdoor exposure during the peak hours of the day today," explains fill-in meteorologist Richard Lewelling. Lewelling says children, those with asthma, heart disease and other lung diseases and the elderly are all affected by the unhealthy air.

Plus, winds aloft continue to bring smoke from dozens of wildfires from western Canada, adding to the haze in the sky.  The Weather Channel says the smoke will stay in the upper atmosphere so there will be no smell but it will enhance the red, yellow and orange around the sun at sunrise and sunset."It just happens to be the way the jet stream is blowing," Gary Szatkowski, meteorologist-in-charge at the National Weather Service office in Mt. Holly tells USA Today.

Lewelling also warns of a few pop-up thunderstorms as a weak cold front crosses New Jersey. There is a better chance of storms developing on Friday and Saturday,

MORE COVERAGE:

• Smoke From Canadian Wildfires Drifted Over 1,600 Miles Into the U.S. / The Weather Channel
• Wildfire smoke drifts into USA, creates red sunrises, sunsets / USA Today