Will Canadian wildfire smoke reach the Triangle? What meteorologists say.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Smoke from nearly 900 Canadian wildfires could reach central North Carolina on July 17.
- Smoke could drift into northern Durham, Orange, Alamance and Forsyth counties on July 17.
- Code Orange air-quality alerts were issued for five counties from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Smoke from nearly 900 Canadian wildfires that’s choked parts of the United States with smoke could reach parts of Central North Carolina on Friday, July 17.
“It’s right along the Virginia-North Carolina border at the moment, kind of spilling over, maybe into Person, Granville, Vance or Warren County in the north,” said Andrew Kren, meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Raleigh office. “It’s largely hugging the border, but there are some hints that it may skirt down into portions of North Carolina as we go through the day.”
The smoke could reach down into northern Durham, Orange, Alamance and Forsyth counties, he said.
“Latest satellite imagery shows a concentrated area of smoke beginning to move into the state from the north, primarily in the northeastern counties,” according to an 11 a.m. forecast from the Division of Air Quality control.
There are “large increases” in the amount of small particle pollution, PM2.5, which is considered the most dangerous form of air pollution with prolonged or extreme exposure.
“Monitors as well as PurpleAir sensors are starting to pick up on this smoke, with large increases in PM2.5 in the past couple of hours,” according to the state forecast. “The smoke is slowly moving southward and should continue to do so heading through the afternoon, but likely will slow its southward progression as winds slow and begin to turn more out of the east and south later today into tonight.”
This smoke will be lower in the atmosphere, easier to see, unlike the smoke from the fires that’s been aloft above the state, according to Jordan Root, with the North Carolina Division of Air Quality.
There are nearly 900 active wildfires across Canada, some out of control, burning some nearly 7 million acres of land, according to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information Service.
Air quality alerts
Many North Carolina counties along the northern border of Virginia have been issued Code Orange air-quality alerts due to increase in air pollution, like PM2.5, from the wildfires.
An orange alert means the air is likely unhealthy for sensitive groups, including young children, senior citizens and those with health conditions like asthma.
A Code Orange air-quality alert has been issued for Mecklenburg, Gaston, Wake, Durham and Granville counties running from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m Friday for ozone pollution.
This article was inspired by a story from The Charlotte Observer.
This story was originally published July 17, 2026 at 12:08 PM.
