(Bloomberg) --
The air quality is in the moderate range across most of the US Northeast and parts of Canada, including New York, Quebec and Ontario this morning, with worse conditions in Alberta and Saskatchewan where more fires are burning.
Smoke from the Canadian fires has drifted across the Atlantic and is now in the skies over western Europe, according to AirNow.gov maps. The plume, however, is well above the ground.
New York can expect scattered showers throughout the day and the US Storm Prediction Center said there is a marginal risk that severe thunderstorms could pop up during the day, accompanied by downpours, winds and hail.
“Compared to previous days there is hardly any smoke across the Northeast,” said Bob Oravec, a senior branch forecaster at the US Weather Prediction Center.
It doesn't mean that will last. An upper level low is forming over the Great Lakes and that “is looking to act as a tap to bring more smoke,” he said. Late spring has been marked by these powerful low pressure systems that have kept conditions cool and helped funnel smoke from Quebec's remote forests across the urban areas of Canada and the US.
“As long as those fires are still burning there are going to be chances for some kind of smoke coming south,” Oravec said.
As of June 11, there were 435 active fires across Canada, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. So far this year, 2,487 fires have burned about 4.8 million hectares, the agency said.
In other weather news:
South Asia: An “extremely severe” cyclone is set to batter some coastal areas of India and Pakistan this week, prompting authorities to start moving people to safer places. The wind speed during the storm, named as Biparjoy, could rise as high as 150 kilometers (93 miles) per hour, according to the India Meteorological Department. It’s expected to cross India’s Saurashtra and Kutch and adjoining Pakistan coasts near Jakhau Port in Gujarat on Thursday, the bureau said.
Vietnam: Severe power shortages in northern Vietnam are beginning to ease, allowing manufacturers to extend operating hours after blackouts curtailed production. Thousands of factories in the region have gone without sufficient power since nationwide outages began last month. Northern provinces, including Bac Giang, have been worst hit by the crisis, after searing heat cut the supply of hydropower at a time of low coal supplies and failures at outdated power plants.
UK: Heat will persist across the UK and northern Europe this week, potentially boosting demand for energy to keep buildings cool.London is set to reach 29C (84.2F) on Tuesday, while Oslo will push above 28C later in the week, according to a forecast from Maxar Technologies Inc. Southern regions look cooler, with Madrid at no more than 23C on Tuesday.
