Here's why it's hazy in Fort Collins today and what to do when there's poor air quality

Rebecca Powell, Fort Collins Coloradoan
·2 min read
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A first glance outside this morning, and it might have seemed hazy in Fort Collins. A good look to the horizon confirmed it definitely is.

It's all because of Canadian wildfires burning to the northwest, according to the National Weather Service in Boulder and the Colorado Department of Health and Environment.

Things didn't look great Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday, but the skies might clear out in the next two days when the airflow changes, both said.

Smoke north and east of Denver was expected to thin out throughout the day, the NWS in Boulder posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, but residents on Colorado's northeast plains could expect it to return Wednesday evening.

So where are these fires located?

"Lots of active fires in British Columbia, Alberta, and even the Northwest Territories and Yukon," the NWS posted. "Our airflow turns more westerly over the next two days, so we'll clear any lingering smoke out."

A fire and smoke tracking map shows hundreds of fires across Canada, particularly in the northwest.

A look at the air quality index showed moderate activity in Fort Collins on Wednesday afternoon, with worse conditions northeast through the Dakotas, eastern Montana and Nebraska.

Health alerts issued

The Colorado health department issued a health advisory for wildfire smoke in eastern Colorado on Wednesday, in addition to a warning that ozone concentrations would be unhealthy for sensitive groups in western parts of Fort Collins, Boulder and the Denver metro area.

Under the ozone alert, active individuals and people with lung disease, such as asthma, should reduce prolonged or heavy outdoor exertion between noon and 8 p.m. Wednesday, the health department said.

The wildfire smoke advisory covers Logan, Sedgwick, Phillips, Morgan, Washington, Yuma, Lincoln, Kit Carson, Cheyenne, Kiowa, Bent, Prowers, and Baca counties until 4 p.m. Wednesday.

If smoke becomes thick, residents might want to remain indoors, especially if they have heart disease or respiratory illnesses or are very young or elderly, according to the advisory.

Light to moderate smoke is also possible near small wildfires and prescribed burns around the state. The fire and smoke map showed 10 fires in Colorado.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Canadian wildfires bring haze to Fort Collins, eastern Colorado