Wildfires blazing in central Canada and northern Minnesota sent smoke haze billowing toward major metropolitan areas across the Midwest, Northeast, and mid-Atlantic regions, while more than 100 million people were issued air quality alerts.
In Washington, D.C., air quality levels jumped to a Code Purple level on Friday, as smoke haze obstructed views of key landmarks and monuments.
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“We’re advising sensitive groups to stay indoors as much as possible and all other groups to limit both time outside and to avoid heavy exertion activities,” Mayor Muriel Bowser wrote in a statement Friday. “If you must go outside, wear a mask. All DC Gov outdoor activities [are] cancelled; outdoor pools and spray parks are closed.”
The U.S. Capitol is seen from a street in Washington as heavy smoke from wildfires shrouds the atmosphere, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) 
The sun is obscured by wildfire smoke as a person runs in front of the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, Friday, July 17, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson) 
The U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument are seen, as smoke from wildfires blankets the sky, Friday, July 17, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) 
The U.S. Capitol is seen, as smoke from wildfires blankets the sky, Friday, July 17, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
In the Midwest, the state of Michigan has reported its worst air pollution levels ever since it began reporting in the early 2000s. On Friday, Detroit canceled all city-run outdoor activities due to hazardous air quality.
Haze from Canadian wildfires fills the sky as a volunteer rests Thursday, July 16, 2026, before the start of the United Way of Southwest Michigan Rock the Boat cardboard boat race held at the Inn at Harbor Shores in St. Joseph, Mich. (Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP) 
A haze of wildfire smoke blankets Duck Lake State Park along Lake Michigan in Muskegon County, Mich., on Thursday, July 16, 2026. (Joel Bissell/MLive.com via AP) 
Holtec Palisades’ “Team Holtec,” Robo Tech Zone’s “ROW-BOTZ,” and St. Joseph-Lincoln Township Senior Center and St. Joseph Junior Foundation’s “Stars & Stripes,” take off from the starting line Thursday, July 16, 2026, during the United Way of Southwest Michigan Rock the Boat cardboard boat race held at the Inn at Harbor Shores in St. Joseph, Mich. (Don Campbell/The Herald-Palladium via AP) 
A sailboat passes Muskegon South Breakwater Light Beacon Station entering a haze of wildfire smoke on Lake Michigan in Muskegon, Mich., on Thursday, July 16, 2026. (Joel Bissell/MLive.com via AP)
The smoke plumes engulfed the Northeast earlier this week. New York reached its unhealthiest air quality levels Thursday evening, with conditions significantly improving by Friday.
Pedestrians walk in Manhattan during an air quality health advisory due to wildfire smoke, in New York, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy) 
The Statue of Liberty stands during sunset as smoke from wildfires blankets the sky, Thursday, July 16, 2026, in the Brooklyn borough of New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) 
Boats maneuver the East River near the Brooklyn Bridge as smoke from wildfires blankets the sky Thursday, July 16, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Alyssa Goodman) 
A person takes a selfie from the Top of The Rock observation deck at the Rockefeller Center during an air quality health advisory due to wildfire smoke, in New York, Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Skies in New England turned to a yellow-like hue earlier this week, with conditions largely clearing up by Friday.
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A boat navigates along the Connecticut River through a thick wildfire haze in Hadley, Mass., Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (Daniel Jacobi II/he Daily Hampshire Gazette via AP) 
Julian McTaggart is playfully pushed into the West River as smoke from Canadian wildfires creates an orange haze over the area on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, in Brattleboro, Vt. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP) 
Smoke from Canadian wildfires creates an orange haze over Brattleboro, Vt., on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP) 
Smoke from Canadian wildfires creates an orange haze over Brattleboro, Vt., on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP)
