The Smoke Is Back; Then It Gets Really Chilly For July/August

A small thunderstorm erupts amid smoky haze last evening
looking east from St. Albans, Vermont. The smoke is even
thicker today, prompting air quality worries.

UPDATE: 10:35 a.m:

As expected, an Air Quality Alert is now in effect for the northern half of Vermont due to all that wildfire smoke in the air. 

Southern Vermont isn't in the alert, but they are borderline, just short of the levels needed to trigger the alert.

No guarantees, but it looks like the air quality MIGHT slowly start to improve later in the day.

The Air Quality Alert is in effect until 11 pm. tonight

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION: Once again today, we'll be breathing air that isn't really all that great for you today here in Vermont and the rest of New England. 

Another batch of wildfire smoke has descended upon us, and it's about as bad as the last outbreak nearly a week ago that prompted air quality alerts.

Chances are they'll issue another such alert today.  The National Weather Service in South Burlington say they'll be coordinating with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation later this morning to make that determination.

Already, at dawn, the air quality index was nearing 150.  That's unhealthy for sensitive groups. Anything at or above 151 is unhealthy for everyone. 

It was quite hazy early this morning at dawn, and I got a couple whiffs of smoke in the air once again here in St. Albans.  If anything the smoke and haze could thicken up a little more by this afternoon. 

The air should start to improve by tomorrow, as the wind takes on a more northwesterly flow.  That will introduce us to, well, basically autumn.  Or at least a preview of it. I know, already, right?!?!

Another "heat dome" is setting up in the western and central United States.  This ridge of hot high pressure will keep things sweltering for most of the western two thirds of the United States.

The WCAX web cam showed  thick haze and smoke in 
Rutland, Vermont this morning. Smoke from Canadian
wild fires is causing air pollution concerns in Vermont today.

This heat dome is pushing the jet stream northward well into Canada in the middle of the continent. 

That in turn, will be making that same jet stream curve southward through Ontario, Quebec and down into New England.  

The result will be frequent cold fronts, and shots of chilly Canadian air. Each front will be accompanied by showers, but since the air source is kind of dry, each shot of rain won't amount to all that much. 

It should be at least 80 degrees by day this time of year and near 60 at night.  We have a long period of time coming up that will be colder than that, at times much chillier than those normal summertime readings. 

After some possible 80 degree readings today, and maybe in the southern parts of Vermont tomorrow, daytimes will stay in the 70s or even cooler than that at least through next Sunday and probably beyond. 

Nights will be cool, too, getting down into the 40s and 50s every day. If there are any clear, calm nights thrown into the mix, I wouldn't be surprised to see a couple 30s show up in the coldest hollows.

We think of cool summer weather as featuring clean Canadian air, but that won't necessarily be the case. Despite the air flow from Canada, there will still be bouts of haze and wildfire smoke here in Vermont over the next week because of wildfires burning in parts of central Canada.