Severe thunderstorms in Vermont expected to clear the smoky effects of Canadian wildfires

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A sailboat travels on a large body of water with distant tree-covered hills and mountains in the background under a hazy sky. — A sailboat plies the waters of Lake Champlain under hazy skies seen from Burlington on Tuesday June 3, 2025. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger

Vermont’s skies were a little hazier Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning due to wildfire smoke from Canada, but incoming heavy storms are expected to clear the smoke by Friday.

The air quality is moderate throughout the state, with more noticeable impacts at higher elevations. Those with respiratory sensitivities may experience some effects from prolonged exposure, according to Jessica Storm, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Burlington office.

“Generally, conditions are not overly concerning, just some lowering of air quality,” Storm said.

More than 200 fires are active in Canada, and 100 of them have been deemed out of control. The blazes prompted the evacuation of tens of thousands of residents across three Canadian provinces, CBS reported.

A large wildfire burns through a forest, producing thick clouds of gray and black smoke rising into the sky. — Wildfires in Sherridon, Manitoba, Canada on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. Photo courtesy of the Manitoba government via AP

Meteorologists forecast sunny and dry conditions throughout Wednesday, but incoming rain systems are expected to help clear the haze by Friday, Storm said. Strong to severe thunderstorms are forecast for the coming days, continuing the pattern of wet weekends that has characterized this spring, according to the weather service.

This weekend is expected to mark the 11th consecutive Saturday in Burlington with measurable rain in 2025, which Storm said is on par with the average precipitation levels during Vermont’s warmer months.

“Thunderstorms and showers happen pretty frequently,” she said. “In the summer, you have a lot more moisture to work with, typically in the atmosphere, so that’s why it gets so humid and it can be a lot wetter.”
Despite the imminent rains, heat and humidity are expected to continue to increase this summer in Vermont. For June, the weather service’s Climate Prediction Center forecast a higher-than-normal monthly temperature outlook in the state, while the monthly precipitation outlook predicts typical amounts of rainfall.