An air quality alert for central and southern Minnesota continues from Wednesday into Thursday until 11 p.m. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency says the area under the alert starts around Alexandria,

Maps show where new plumes of smoke will cause hazy skies through the end of the week. Low-level smoke is forecast to spread eastward Wednesday across the Appalachians and into the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

Smoke from Canadian wildfires is engulfing much of the eastern and central United States and and is expected to continue for days.