A thick layer of wildfire smoke is changing the look of the sky across south-central Pennsylvania, giving the region a hazy, washed-out appearance as a Code Red air quality alert remains in effect. SHARE YOUR PHOTOS | Did you capture the haze? Submit your photos or videos at https://www.wgal.com/upload. The smoke, drifting in from wildfires burning in southern Ontario and northern Minnesota, is concentrated near the surface. That means many people across the region may notice a milky sky, reduced visibility and a dimmer sun, even during the hottest part of the day. Video below: Canadian wildfire smoke settles over the Susquehanna River in HarrisburgWhat you’re seeing in the sky The smoke is creating a grayish-white haze that can make the sun appear muted or filtered. In some areas, distant buildings, hills and skylines may look faded or blurred. Forecasters say the smoke is thick enough to block some sunshine, which may keep temperatures a little lower than they otherwise would be. Photos below: Washed-out skies in south-central Pennsylvania Why it looks worse today The smoke is not just high in the atmosphere; it is closer to the ground, where people can see it more easily and feel its effects more directly. This has led the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to issue a Code Red air quality alert for the entire Susquehanna Valley on Thursday. A Code Red means the air is unhealthy for everyone, not just people in sensitive groups. Photos below: Canadian wildfires fill sky with thick haze across the U.S. What happens next The haze is expected to linger into Friday, when a Code Orange air quality alert is in effect. Conditions could worsen if smoke concentrations remain high. Scattered showers and thunderstorms this weekend may help improve air quality and clear some of the haze. Video below: Canadian wildfire smoke lingers over Elizabethtown What to keep in mind Officials urge residents to limit time outdoors and avoid strenuous activity while smoky conditions continue. The air can cause: Itchy or burning eyes Coughing Difficulty breathing Worsening symptoms for people with asthma or other respiratory conditions Check live conditions around the ValleyDid you capture the haze and would like to share with News 8? Send us your photos or videos at https://www.wgal.com/upload.
A thick layer of wildfire smoke is changing the look of the sky across south-central Pennsylvania, giving the region a hazy, washed-out appearance as a Code Red air quality alert remains in effect.
SHARE YOUR PHOTOS | Did you capture the haze? Submit your photos or videos at https://www.wgal.com/upload.
The smoke, drifting in from wildfires burning in southern Ontario and northern Minnesota, is concentrated near the surface. That means many people across the region may notice a milky sky, reduced visibility and a dimmer sun, even during the hottest part of the day.
Video below: Canadian wildfire smoke settles over the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg
What you’re seeing in the sky
The smoke is creating a grayish-white haze that can make the sun appear muted or filtered. In some areas, distant buildings, hills and skylines may look faded or blurred.
Forecasters say the smoke is thick enough to block some sunshine, which may keep temperatures a little lower than they otherwise would be.
Photos below: Washed-out skies in south-central Pennsylvania
Why it looks worse today
The smoke is not just high in the atmosphere; it is closer to the ground, where people can see it more easily and feel its effects more directly.
This has led the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to issue a Code Red air quality alert for the entire Susquehanna Valley on Thursday. A Code Red means the air is unhealthy for everyone, not just people in sensitive groups.
Photos below: Canadian wildfires fill sky with thick haze across the U.S.
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A swimmer checks out the view of the smoke from Northern Ontario forest fires that has the City of Toronto skyline shrouded in haze as viewed from Humber Park West in Toronto. July 15, 2026.
PHOTO: Steve Russell
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People walk in downtown Toronto, as smoke from forest fires in Northern Ontario causes poor air quality over the city, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, July 15, 2026.
PHOTO: COLE BURSTON
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People watch a brush fire near Centre Pointe Parkway in Santa Clarita on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
PHOTO: MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images
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A person takes a photo as the view of the smoke from Northern Ontario forest fires that has the City of Toronto skyline shrouded in haze as viewed from Humber Park West in Toronto. July 15, 2026.
PHOTO: Steve Russell
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A plumes of smoke from the Camp Fire hangs in the air on Moose Lake as multiple wildfires burning in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness prompted its closure and evacuation Tuesday, July 14, 2026 in Ely, Minn.
PHOTO: Star Tribune
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Smoke from wildfires in Canada shrouds the view north to midtown Manhattan, seen from the 86th-floor observation deck of the Empire State Building before sunset on July 15, 2026, in New York City. Hundreds of wildfires are burning across Canada with the majority in the Ontario province.
PHOTO: Gary Hershorn
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People look toward the downtown skyline from the Toronto Islands as forest fires in Northern Ontario cause poor air quality over the city, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, July 15, 2026.
PHOTO: COLE BURSTON
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Smoke from wildfires in Canada shrouds the view north to midtown Manhattan and the Chrysler Building, seen from the 86th-floor observation deck of the Empire State Building before sunset on July 15, 2026, in New York City. Hundreds of wildfires are burning across Canada with the majority in the Ontario province.
PHOTO: Gary Hershorn
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The view of the smoke from Northern Ontario forest fires that has the City of Toronto skyline shrouded in haze as viewed from Humber Park West in Toronto. July 15, 2026.
PHOTO: Steve Russell
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The sky over Boston is hazy from Canadian wildfires on July 15, 2026.
PHOTO: Boston Globe
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A yellowish sky from Canadian wildfires forms the backdrop for a Ferris wheel that spins at Pier 5 in the Boston Seaport on July 14, 2026.
PHOTO: Boston Globe
What happens next
The haze is expected to linger into Friday, when a Code Orange air quality alert is in effect. Conditions could worsen if smoke concentrations remain high.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms this weekend may help improve air quality and clear some of the haze.
Video below: Canadian wildfire smoke lingers over Elizabethtown
What to keep in mind
Officials urge residents to limit time outdoors and avoid strenuous activity while smoky conditions continue. The air can cause:
Itchy or burning eyes Coughing Difficulty breathing Worsening symptoms for people with asthma or other respiratory conditions Check live conditions around the Valley
Did you capture the haze and would like to share with News 8? Send us your photos or videos at https://www.wgal.com/upload.