Wildfire Smoke Covers Wisconsin Skies: Could It Move South?

MILWAUKEE, WI — Northern Wisconsin and nearly all of Minnesota have been covered by a cloud of smoky haze this weekend due to wildfires in southern Canada.

Wildfire smoke is close to our area, which you can see nicely on satellite views today. Nearly all of Minnesota and the northern half of Wisconsin have smoke in the atmosphere but cleaner winds from the northeast have kept us pretty clear so far. pic.twitter.com/6tSdPZBIXl
— NWS La Crosse (@NWSLaCrosse) July 12, 2021

This smoky atmosphere can trigger allergic reactions like watery eyes and non-stop sneezing.

Will that haze filter into Southeast Wisconsin this week? Winds will turn westerly on Wednesday and Thursday, a weather service spokesperson said.

The weather service doesn't have a forecast for smoke that goes far enough to touch southeast Wisconsin, but wildfires out west could push smoke to move across the whole state, the spokesperson said.

Here's a detailed weather forecast for the next three days from the National Weather Service:

Today: A 30 percent chance of showers, mainly after 1 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 72. Northeast wind around 10 mph.

Tonight: A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 66. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Tuesday: A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 82. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night: A chance of thunderstorms before 7 p.m. Mostly clear, with a low around 67. Calm wind becoming west around 5 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Wednesday: A slight chance of showers between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4 p.m. Sunny, with a high near 86. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Wednesday Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. South wind around 10 mph.

William Bornhoft contributed to this article.