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Canada wildfire smoke brings unhealthy air quality to over a dozen states in Midwest, Northeast: Latest

Wildfire smoke from Canada shrouds the sun as it rises behind the Chrysler Building in New York City, July 17, 2026. (Gary Hershorn/ABC News)

(NEW YORK) — Dangerous smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires has seeped down to the U.S., impacting over 100 million Americans across more than a dozen states.

Air quality alerts on Friday stretch from the Midwest to the Great Lakes to the Northeast to the Mid-Atlantic, impacting major cities including Chicago, Detroit, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia.

Canada has nearly 900 wildfires burning, with over 100 categorized as out of control. Almost 200 of the fires are in Ontario.

Heavy rain by the Minnesota/Canada border on Friday may help with some fires, but the storms could also bring strong winds and lightning, which can spark new fires and create more erratic fire activity.

Passing showers and thunderstorms are also possible in Ontario Friday, but that rain won’t be enough to put the wildfires out, and the winds may make conditions worse and lightning could spark new wildfires. There are more chances for rain over Ontario on Saturday and again on Tuesday. 

In the U.S., the smoke Friday spans from Duluth, Minnesota, to Richmond, Virginia, impacting states including Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware.

Philadelphia issued a “Code Purple Air Quality Emergency Day” Friday.

“Everyone may experience negative health effects from particulate matter in the air,” Philadelphia officials warned. “Members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.”

The worst air quality Friday afternoon is in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin.

In Milwaukee, where the air is in the hazardous category, the Milwaukee Brewers are allowing ticket holders to exchange tickets for Friday night’s game for another regular season home game. 

The air is expected to improve on Saturday in the Ohio Valley, Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic, when rain moves in. But parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes will continue to see dangerous air quality.

Smoke is probable over New York City on Sunday when Spain plays Argentina in the FIFA World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, though it is still too early to know exactly where the smoke will be. Sources familiar with the situation told ABC News that “all involved authorities are monitoring.”

Smoke contains fine particles that can travel deep into the lungs. For those who need to work outdoors, are more sensitive to smoke or are in a high-risk group, Kai Chen, an associate professor of epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health, told ABC News that the best type of mask to wear is an N95, which is designed to filter at least 95% of airborne particles.

In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said free KN95 masks are available at hundreds of locations.

Click here to read more on how to stay safe.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Gianni Infantino is in a mire of his own making. With the threat of a European boycott, can he ride out the storm?

By CNN
(CNN) — Gianni Infantino lives to fight another day – for now.Despite the continued, unprecedented backlash within and outside of FIFA to his ill-conceived and ultimately ill-fated FFE plan, the Swiss – at least on the surface – remains defiant.In any other walk of life, he’d have packed his bags. Soccer governance, though, operates in an alternative reality.Not willing to go of his accord, he clings on to power, emboldened to muddle through the biggest, self-made storm that has engulfed him and his organization in his 10-year tenure.An apologetic statement this week and commitment to not letting history repeat itself has, though, done little to placate the intensifying scrutiny of his leadership.With European soccer’s governing body, UEFA, doubling down on its threat of a boycott of FIFA competitions and battle lines being drawn up across the global footballing landscape, the question still looms: Is Infantino’s latest gambit a stay of execution, an attempted fightback or the start of a prolonged war of attrition?Fragmented landscapePrior to this summer’s World Cup, it was reported that more than 200 of the 211 national associations that make up FIFA had pledged their support to Infantino for his reelection next year.And up until this point the 56-year-old has appeared Teflon.Concerns surrounding his close ties with US President Donald Trump, outrage at exorbitant ticket prices and immigration policies at the World Cup through to still unanswered questions around the overturning of Folarin Balogun’s ban during the tournament all have been largely brushed under the carpet.The fight over the plan to sell off parts of the World Cup and other signature FIFA events to private businesses has tested that bulletproof presidency. And while there’s since been an unrelenting, concerted effort by UEFA to oust Infantino, from a loss of confidence in his leadership to the threat of legal action against him and his associates, there’s not been the united front that had been anticipated when it comes to change.UEFA commands a great deal of power and clout on and off the pitch, but it’s struggling to shake off the perception of this being another attempted European coup.Put simply, it cannot fight this battle alone.Not only does it need global support to maintain its momentum, it too needs to offer a genuine alternative to the status quo.Herein lies the problem.Power strongholdsOutside of Europe, so far only Jordan – one of a handful of countries not to have signed a letter of support for Infantino’s reelection prior to this crisis – has publicly called for Infantino’s resignation.North and Central America and Caribbean governing body CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have both criticized the FIFA president and rejected the plan.Yet several countries within both confederations have already publicly pledged their loyalty to Infantino, while some are in no rush to commit either way.In a game of fine margins, which way those nations swing could prove crucial.And it’s not just the splitting of votes within confederations where Infantino is pinning his hopes of preserving his position.Like that of his predecessors, João Havelange and Sepp Blatter, Infantino is seeking to rally his core supporters in his traditional power base of Africa.Less wealthy associations within and outside the confederation have relied heavily on FIFA funds via Infantino’s FIFA Forward program, the precursor to FFE, which was introduced by him in 2016.South America’s CONMEBOL has already said it won’t upset the apple cart as it continues its push for a 64-team World Cup in 2030.Meanwhile, the executive committee of the smallest and least wealthy regional confederation, Oceania (OFC), will meet Wednesday to discuss its approach.Numbers gameAlthough severely weakened, Infantino still has his allies and, as it stands, the belief that he has the requisite votes needed to win March’s presidential election.And, at least for now, despite the threat of revolt, internal pressure within FIFA appears to have abated.While some senior figures have spoken out, others have fallen in line.To date, Carlos Cordeiro, formerly Infantino’s senior advisor, is the only high-profile official to have quit.The ball, therefore, is in UEFA’s court as to what to do next.It has several options at its disposal but which one it takes could prove crucial in determining the trajectory of how this saga unfolds.The problem, though, is none of the routes is easily achievable.Short term it could look to initiate an Extraordinary Congress and by default a no-confidence vote in Infantino.UEFA has the numbers to trigger such an action but there’s no guarantee of success.A forcing of an emergency meeting of the FIFA Council is also an avenue but again getting the necessary support may prove too difficult.All indicators, therefore, point toward a challenger being put up to face Infantino in March’s election – the first time an election would be contested since Infantino himself succeeded the discredited Sepp Blatter in 2016.CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani is widely viewed as the most likely rival if enough votes can be generated.The Canadian, though, is yet to publicly comment on the privatization plan fallout or provide an alternative vision to that presented by Infantino.Candidates have until November 18 to put their names forward for the contest.Nuclear optionThis, though, buys Infantino time to ride out the storm, regroup and rebuild.He could offer a route for reform, open up FIFA’s cash reserves or dangle the carrot of new funding. All options are on the table.The question that could cut through all of this is whether UEFA follows through with its threat of a boycott and non-cooperation, both of which could make FIFA ungovernable for Infantino.Not satisfied by Infantino’s walkback, it is a lever that Europe can pull – albeit a dangerous one at the same time.History hasn’t always looked kindly on such a move.A first major test of UEFA’s will is whether its national teams participate in next month’s U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.Six nations, including the host, are set to compete although UEFA is yet to publicly confirm how it intends to navigate this.CNN has approached FIFA and Poland’s FA for comment.Time is of the essence and the hopes and dreams of players in the balance.Beyond the pitch, tetchiness from FIFA’s lucrative sponsors amid the constant negative publicity could also prove telling.For now, though, soccer’s civil war appears to be heading toward an entrenched standoff of ideas and values.And, as ever, it rests on the game’s true custodians – the fans and players – to keep the very soul of the game alive and intact.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
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