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Large portions of the United States are currently experiencing poor air quality due to a combination of wildfire smoke from Canada and desert dust from the Sahara. The National Weather Service has issued air quality alerts across many regions, warning residents of the hazardous conditions.

By Wednesday, alerts had been issued for New York City and surrounding areas including New Jersey and most of Connecticut. Officials advised those sensitive to air pollution to limit outdoor activities and be vigilant for respiratory symptoms from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cautions that the wildfire smoke contains fine particles known as PM 2.5. These particles can infiltrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream, potentially leading to bronchitis, exacerbating asthma, and causing other health problems.

Similarly, various air quality warnings remain in effect in Western Canada, where the primary fires are located. The resulting smoke has been drifting toward northwest Ontario. Additionally, the smoke had traveled southwards, passing over the Midwest on Tuesday, causing alerts in states like Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio.

Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center, reported that satellite images still showed smoke covering the eastern United States, stretching from northern Georgia to New England and parts of the Upper Midwest. Although much of the smoke remains aloft, some of it has descended to ground levels.

On Wednesday morning, several cities such as Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Columbus, Ohio, recorded air quality readings between 100 and 140, levels that are classified as "very unhealthy." These readings were an improvement from Tuesday, when Minneapolis and St. Paul had seen levels as high as 226.

In Iowa, the Department of Natural Resources issued an air quality alert expected to remain effective through Thursday morning. Residents were advised to limit outdoor activities as air pollution levels were deemed unhealthy for sensitive groups, and possibly even for the general population.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced a continuing alert for most of the state through noon on Wednesday, warning that certain areas could experience air quality levels entering the red category, posing a risk to the entire population.

At the same time that northern states are managing the impact of smoke, a plume of Saharan dust is moving across the Atlantic, expected to affect Gulf Coast states through Thursday. Marc Chenard noted that this dust had already reached parts of Florida by Wednesday morning and predicted it would intensify over the day.

The highest concentrations of dust are anticipated on Wednesday and Wednesday night, although lower levels may persist into the weekend. Chenard mentioned that although smoke and dust may overlap in some regions, it's more likely that as Saharan dust moves in, the wildfire smoke will disperse northwards, driven by the same wind patterns.