photo by: Shelley Hanson

The Fort Henry Bridge in Wheeling is shown under hazy conditions on Monday due to more wildfire smoke blowing down from Canada. The smoke is expected to linger today.

WHEELING — The smoky haze is back again in the Ohio Valley caused by wildfires continuing to burn in Canada.

But the haze is anticipated to decrease today with just some smoke lingering, said Shannon Hefferan, meteorologist with the National Weather Service of Pittsburgh.

Both the West Virginia and Ohio departments of environmental protection issued air quality alerts Monday that were set to expire at midnight. Hefferan noted that, while those alerts were expected to expire, another alert could be issued because of the wind’s direction.

“The winds are coming from the northwest and carrying smoke from Canada,” she said.

As of 4 p.m. Monday, airnow.gov’s air quality index map showed that the Ohio Valley’s AQI was in the range of being unhealthy for sensitive groups.

Those groups include children, the elderly and those with breathing problems such as asthma.

In Moundsville, the air quality was a little worse as was the air in the Barnesville and Beallsville areas, according to airnow.gov.

The map’s forecast for today showed the AQI moving into the “moderate” category, which should only affect those who are “unusually sensitive” to particle pollution.

Earlier this month the region was blanketed in a thick cover of the smoky haze also due to the wildfires in Canada. That bout of smoke hung around for a few days.

People were warned that the smoke may make it hard to breathe or give them headaches. People in sensitive groups were warned to stay inside if possible.

The Ohio Valley could intermittently see bouts of the haze as long as the fires in Canada continue to burn and depending on which way the wind blows.

According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, 581 wildfires are deemed “out of control” across the country. There are 99 fires “being held” and 202 fires “under control.”

Three new fires started Sunday. Since the beginning of the year Canada has dealt with more than 4,000 wildfires.

Most of the causes of the fires are listed as “natural” while a few are dubbed “manmade.”