Wildfires worsened by climate change spewed smoke over much of North America this year. It's a new reality Americans haven't yet processed: how dangerous the smoke is for human health.
More than 230 active wildfires are burning in Canada's Northwest Territories, including one outside the capital of Yellowknife, forcing 20,000 residents to flee.
Parts of the Midwest are seeing unhealthy air quality this weekend, including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Montana and the Dakotas. It can be most dangerous for kids, older people and other sensitive groups.
In Madison, Wis., the air quality was measured at 242 Thursday morning— a "very unhealthy" purple alert rating that many other communities shared, particularly in the Midwest.
Smoke from Canadian wildfires is smothering U.S. cities like Detroit, Chicago and Pittsburgh. Air quality warnings are in effect across the Midwest as officials warn of hazardous conditions.
Christina Lamoureux planned a perfect wedding. Now she is among the unlucky set of soon-to-be married couples frantically making contingency plans as clouds of polluted air linger over their nuptials.
As most New Yorkers isolated inside this week to avoid the hazardous smoke that enveloped the city, one man was rushing ramen across town for a customer's dinner.
Everyone knows that red means danger, but how did purple become a cautionary color? At an EPA conference in the late 1990s, attendees nearly came to blows over color coding on the Air Quality Index.
The natural climate pattern known as El Niño has officially begun. It exacerbates human-caused climate change, driving even hotter temperatures and other dangerous weather.
Millions of Americans are under air quality alerts as wildfires burn in Canada. Experts say the weather pattern could change by early next week, and stress the need to take precautions until then.
