Canadian wildfire smoke spread over Nebraska during the evening hours of Monday, May 13, (Brian Neben, Central Nebraska Today)
KEARNEY — The Two Rivers Public Health Department has issued a smoke advisory due to wildfire smoke affecting air quality across their region.
The advisory notes that the air quality is unhealthy for sensitive groups including those with heart or lung disease, older adults, children, those who are pregnant and those who work or spend long times outdoors.
All residents, regardless of sensitivities, are encouraged to keep outdoor activities short and light.
The Two Rivers Public Health Department oversees Buffalo, Dawson, Franklin, Gosper, Harlan, Kearney and Phelps counties.
Canadian wildfire smoke has been drawn south into the central Plains in the wake of a cold frontal boundary moves to the southeast.
According to the National Weather Service – Hastings, impacts to south central Nebraska will be Thursday into Friday as the thicker smoke lags behind the cold front for a few hours.
Canada has surpassed the milestone of 5,000 wildfires to date over the 2024 season, according to data from the national wildfire agency.
With over five million hectares torched by blazes this year, 2024 is shaping to be the second-most destructive wildfire season in the past two decades, per the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System.