Wildfire smoke obscures a sunset in central Nebraska, (Brian Neben, Courtesy)
KEARNEY — Smoke from wildfires in Canada has filtered down over Central Nebraska and is causing moderate air quality concerns.
The smoke can be traced back to a large number of fires burning in the Quebec Province. A storm system off the coast of Nova Scotia pushed the smoke south into the United States.
There are also lingering hotspots across areas of northern Alberta and British Columbia.
According to the Air Now website, operated by the Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program, the air quality was considered moderate, a two out of six.
A moderate level means the air quality is acceptable; however, there may be some health concern for a small number of unusually sensitive individuals, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“We cannot identify groups of people that are at greater risk when air quality is in this range,” the EPA stated.
The poorest air quality is limited to northern Canada now, but a passing weather system can always displace the smoke across the United States, something that has been seen over the past several years during wildfire seasons.
