How will wildfires in Canada affect Middle Tennessee’s air quality?

Date:2025-08-06 08:11:50 Category:US Views:1 Comment:0

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — On Tuesday, air quality alerts were in effect for millions of Americans from Minnesota to New Hampshire. Thick smoke from Canadian wildfires has been the cause of the widespread air quality concerns.

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On Tuesday, air quality was good for Middle Tennessee, but just to the north, it was unhealthy.

The poor air quality prompted the National Weather Service to issue some air quality alerts. The agency wants people to monitor for symptoms like wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, dizziness or a burning feeling in the nose, throat and eyes.

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In the grey counties below, it’s recommended that folks avoid strenuous outdoor activities, especially those who have heart disease and respiratory diseases like asthma.

All this smoke has been caused by dozens of massive wildfires in Canada. According to the Canadian government, fire plays a crucial role shaping forests. They support forest health and diversity and, overall, are an important ecological process. However, they can sometimes harm health.

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These fires are an annual occurrence there, and Middle Tennessee has been impacted by smoke from them earlier this year.

In order for the smoke to move over Middle Tennessee, there needs to be a northerly wind for a few days. The latest forecast shows the smoke getting closer to Tennessee and Kentucky, but the thickest smoke should stay away.

Click through the slides below to see the smoke tracker.