wildfires

VIDEO: Band of Wildfire Smoke Visible Behind Boston

The smoke prompted an EPA air quality advisory Wednesday in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island

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The wildfire smoke that's floated from Nova Scotia, Canada, to southeastern Massachusetts this week was visible near Boston Wednesday morning.

That smoke has brought a burning smell to Massachusetts and other parts of New England, and NBC10 Boston's Sky Ranger took aerial video that showed a band of it miles from Boston, visible behind the city's skyline.

The smoke has also been visible on radar and from space.

A southwestern wind has been carrying the smoke about 300 miles from Nova Scotia, across the North Atlantic. It prompted an air quality alert in Massachusetts on Tuesday.

And the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued an air quality advisory Wednesday for Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

"Hazy skies, reduced visibility, and the odor of burning wood is very likely as the smoke plumes are transported over the region," the advisory said, urging people with preexisting medical conditions to stay indoors.

See the EPA's air quality index here.

The level of smoke in the air is expected to continue clearing throughout the day, though our First Alert forecast notes that the afternoon sky may continue to be hazy.

Today: Hazy sunshine and warm. Highs in the 80s inland, mid to upper 70s at the coast. Overnight Tonight: Some patchy low clouds and fog. Lows in the 50s. Thursday: Sunny and hot. Highs in the 80s to around 90 inland, 70s along the South Coast to Cape Cod.

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