Canadian wildfire smoke pushes Detroit, Minneapolis, and New York into world's top polluted cities

On July 16, 2026, IQAir ranked Detroit, Minneapolis, and New York among the world's most polluted major cities. Smoke from Northern Ontario wildfires drifted across the Great Lakes into the US Northeast and Midwest, confirmed by the National Weather Service. Toronto posted the worst global air quality on July 15, hitting 10+ on the Air Quality Health Index.