Air quality improving in Northeast, while wildfire smoke hangs over Midwest

Finn Gomez/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Finn Gomez/Getty Images WASHINGTON — Poor air quality persisted in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern states on Saturday, as smoke from hundreds of wildfires burning in Minnesota and Canada continued to spread and envelop skylines. The National Weather Service (NWS) said heavy rain and storms could help clear the air in the northeast and mid-Atlantic this weekend, while dangerous levels of air pollution will still hang over the Midwest. "As we start clearing out here in the east, they're going to get the next batch of smoke later this afternoon into tonight across areas from upper Michigan, eastern Wisconsin, into Illinois and Indiana, including Chicago," NWS Forecaster Brian Hurley told NPR.