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A woman bikes along the waterfront in Toronto as wildfire smoke fills the city, on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Laura Proctor\/The Canadian Press Toronto Star<\/p>\n
Festivals on across Toronto as air quality starts to improve<\/p>\n
As the air quality is expected to improve slowly throughout Saturday, festivals are taking place across Toronto this weekend.<\/p>\n
Big on Bloor<\/a> returns for its 20th edition with music, vendors and arts and crafts activities on Bloor Street West, which will be car-free between Dufferin St. and Lansdowne Ave. from noon to midnight on Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday.<\/p>\n The annual Beaches Jazz Festival<\/a> is ongoing and will feature free musical performances at the main stage in Woodbine Park on Saturday and Sunday.<\/p>\n In Earlscourt Park, BrazilFest<\/a> is also taking place for the 20th time on Saturday and Sunday from noon to 11 p.m., featuring music, dance and vendors celebrating Brazilian culture. At Nathan Phillips Square, Vietnamese cuisine and cultural performances are on at the Taste of Vietnam festival<\/a> until 11 p.m. on Saturday.<\/p>\n The FIFA Fan Festival is scheduled to open<\/a> around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday to show the third-place match between France and England at 5 p.m. The city warned that the opening could be adjusted due to weather conditions.<\/p>\n As of 11 a.m. on Saturday, Toronto remained under a yellow-level warning for poor air quality, a step below a previous orange-level warning. At 10:45 a.m., monitoring stations across Toronto observed \u201chigh risk\u201d conditions on the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI), although the conditions are expected to improve slightly in the afternoon.<\/p>\n Watershed Conditions Statement: Flood Outlook in effect until July 19. Thunderstorms may bring heavy rain, leading to possible flooding in TRCA watersheds. Rivers could overflow, stay away from rivers, shorelines & low-lying areas. #ONStorm<\/a> Learn more: https:\/\/t.co\/BnpOLbO1vY<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 TRCA Flood (@TRCA_Flood) July 18, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Toronto downgraded to yellow air quality warning as conditions improve<\/p>\n Environment Canada\u2019s air quality warning for Toronto has been downgraded from the orange to the yellow level as conditions improve.<\/p>\n As of 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Toronto is only under a yellow warning for air quality which indicates a moderate impact.<\/p>\n Environment Canada still recommends limiting time outdoors, especially for those more likely to be impacted by wildfire smoke such as people over 65, pregnant people, infants and children.<\/p>\n \u201cYou may experience mild and common symptoms such as eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches or a mild cough,\u201d the agency wrote.<\/p>\n Flows of fresh southwest air coming into Toronto, along with rain predicted for the afternoon could help further improve conditions, Environment Canada meteorologist Weiqing Zhang said.<\/p>\n After the air quality improves in the afternoon, it could worsen Saturday evening and overnight before \u201ca major improvement\u201d expected Sunday, Environment Canada wrote.<\/p>\n People cool off at Gus Ryder Pool by Sunnyside Beach on\u00a0July 28, 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nick Lachance\/Toronto Star file photo Toronto Star<\/p>\n Outdoor pools set to reopen in Toronto, GTA as air quality improves<\/p>\n Toronto\u2019s outdoor swimming and wading pools are set to reopen for the first time since Wednesday as air quality conditions are predicted to improve.<\/p>\n All outdoor pools will open at 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon for their regular programming, according to a notice posted on the city website<\/a>.<\/p>\n Toronto first closed all wading and outdoor pools on Wednesday because of the lingering smoke from wildfires burning in northern Ontario, which led to an orange air quality warning issued by Environment Canada.<\/p>\n Smoke lingers in the evening sky along the Trans Canada Highway west of Thunder Bay on July 17, 2026.<\/p>\n Arlyn McAdorey\/ Toronto Star Toronto Star<\/p>\n Air quality to improve, Toronto under severe thunderstorm watch<\/p>\n The air quality in Toronto is expected to improve throughout the day, Environment Canada predicts.<\/p>\n Toronto is currently under an orange air quality warning indicating very poor air quality, which could lift in the coming hours according to Weiqing Zhang, a severe weather meteorologist at Environment Canada.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve already gotten the southwest flows of fresh air, so that will move in to Toronto \u2026 the air quality will gradually improve this morning,\u201d Zhang said, adding that the orange warning will likely be downgraded to a yellow one as the air improves.<\/p>\n Toronto is now also under a yellow severe thunderstorm watch, indicating that conditions are favourable for severe thunderstorms starting around 12 p.m. Between 25 and 40 millimetres of rain are possible, along with wind gusts up to 110 km\/h and hail as big as ping-pong balls, according to Environment Canada<\/a>.<\/p>\n The cooler air, combined with the effect from the rain bringing down smoke particles mean that the air quality in Toronto will likely not reach an orange warning level on Sunday, Zhang said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Check our smoke forecast map<\/p>\n How to stay safe as Toronto\u2019s air is compared to smoking cigarettes<\/p>\n By Kevin Jiang |\u00a0Science and Life Reporter<\/p>\n While the skies over Toronto are looking clearer, Environment Canada still has an air quality warning in place.<\/p>\n On 9 a.m. Friday, exposure to the air for a 24-hour period carried roughly the same mortality risk as smoking 4.1 cigarettes, according to website How Many Smokes?<\/p>\n The calculation, which is updated constantly, is based on research by Berkeley Earth, which suggests breathing in 22 micrograms per cubic metre of fine particulate matter for 24 hours carries approximately the same mortality risk as smoking one cigarette.<\/p>\n Toronto ranks first on global list for worst air quality\u00a0<\/p>\n By Adshayah Sathiaseelan | Star Staff<\/p>\n Toronto ranked as the world\u2019s most polluted major city again Saturday morning, returning to the top spot for the first time in three days.<\/p>\n The ranking comes as smokes from wildfires in northwestern Ontario continues to blanket the region, prompting Environment Canada to maintain the orange air-quality alert first issued for the area Tuesday night.<\/p>\n Forest fire smoke will result in \u201cvery poor air quality\u201d Saturday morning, with some improvement expected later in the morning into the afternoon, Environment Canada said in an update around 5:20 a.m. Saturday<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, poor air quality may return tonight,\u201d the weather agency added.<\/p>\n Toronto\u2019s U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI) was sitting at 186 on Saturday morning, making it the world\u2019s most polluted city, according to IQAir. New York ranked second at 180, followed by Washington at 173.<\/p>\n On the U.S. AQI scale, Toronto\u2019s reading of 184 is considered unhealthy.<\/p>\n Downtown Toronto\u2019s air quality began deteriorating again around 12 a.m. Saturday, with the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) climbing back to the \u201chigh risk\u201d category, after improving to low and moderate air quality readings on Friday.<\/p>\n The AQHI reached the \u201cvery high risk\u201d category at around 2 a.m. Saturday with a reading of 11, the first time since 6 a.m. Friday. It peaked at 14 by 4 a.m. before dropping to 9 at 6 a.m. and back to 14 as of 7 a.m.<\/p>\n On the AQHI, readings of 7 to 10 are considered high risk, while readings above 10 are classified as very high risk.<\/p>\n Pedestrians wear masks at Yonge and Dundas as wildfire smoke from northwestern Ontario blankets Toronto on July 17, 2026.<\/p>\n R.J. Johnston\/Toronto Star Toronto Star<\/p>\n Junior parade postponed at Toronto Caribbean Carnival<\/p>\n By Gabriel Hilty | Star Staff<\/p>\n The junior carnival parade at Caribana, now known as the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, has been postponed to Sunday due to the forecasted poor weather in the city.<\/p>\n In a post on social media, the festival organizers wrote that while the junior parade date was changed due to the predicted inclement weather, \u201cthe celebration is still on, just one day later.\u201d Toronto currently remains under an orange air-quality alert due to wildfire smoke and is expecting a chance of thunderstorms and showers throughout the day.<\/p>\n The junior carnival parade features thousands of young masqueraders filling the street with handcrafted costumes and dance.<\/p>\n It will take place Sunday, July 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. along its original route by Neilson Park and Malvern Community Centre.<\/p>\n CN Rail workers on a firefighting train travel past the Brunswick Creek wildfire in Boston Bar, B.C., on Thursday, July 9, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n Darryl Dyck\/The Canadian Press Toronto Star<\/p>\n Zombie fires and \u2018firenados\u2019:\u00a0How Ontario firefighters tackle wildfires in the era of climate change<\/p>\n Walls of flames sweeping through forest at 200 kilometres an hour. Infernos so powerful they spawn dry lightning and burning tornadoes. Zombie fires that smoulder underground, surviving multiple winters.<\/p>\n In the era of climate change, wildfires like the ones raging in northern Ontario this week aren\u2019t what they used to be. Often, they\u2019re bigger and more intense \u2014 creating new challenges for firefighters working to douse them.<\/p>\n Most people imagine crews in the forest squaring off against a wildfire, says Eric Kennedy, an associate professor at York University who specializes in wildfire management. But the reality is very different.<\/p>\n Ontario Premier Doug Ford speaks in front of a live map of smoke movement during a press conference updating media on ongoing forest fires in Ontario, in Toronto, Friday, July 17, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cole Burston\/The Canadian Press Toronto Star<\/p>\n Premier Doug Ford expected to visit Thunder Bay as fires rage in northern Ontario<\/p>\n Premier Doug Ford is planning to visit Thunder Bay, where many evacuees fleeing northern Ontario wildfires have sought shelter.<\/p>\n Ford is expected to join Natural Resources Minister Mike Harris in the city today, as the province faces criticism for its emergency response.<\/p>\n Ford has said more than 150 fire crews and over 80 water bombers and helicopters are battling the wildfires and the province would spare no expense in keeping people safe.<\/p>\n Multiple northern communities have already been evacuated or have evacuations underway, and others are preparing for possible evacuations.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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