By Meteorologist Dakota Smith, CNN

(CNN) — Smoke from wildfires in Canada has poured into the United States, causing air quality to plummet and masking landscapes in a thick, brown haze.

Poor air quality has been an issue in New York since Wednesday, when the cloud of smoke descended near the ground.

Washington, DC, has mostly avoided hazardous air – until Friday, when a thick haze settled over the nation’s capital.

Chicago experienced some of the country’s worst air quality on Thursday and is still enveloped in a cloud of smoke. Here’s what it looks like compared to Wednesday.

Wildfire smoke has altered skies over Central Pennsylvania since Tuesday.

And it completely swallowed the Minneapolis skyline on Wednesday.

Blue turned to a brown-orange in the skies over Grand Rapids, Michigan, this week.

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SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Long before many beachgoers arrive, East Beach is already filled with the sound of whistles, running feet and young lifeguards-in-training.

Santa Barbara’s Junior Lifeguard Program is giving hundreds of young adults the chance to build confidence while learning skills that could one day save a life.

Participants spend their days practicing ocean swimming, paddleboarding, beach runs and rescue techniques under the guidance of city lifeguards.

The program also teaches them how to recognize changing ocean conditions, understand rip currents and respond safely in emergencies.

Instructors say the goal extends well beyond the beach. The experience encourages teamwork, responsibility, perseverance and respect for the ocean.

Many families return year after year, making the summer tradition an opportunity for children to stay active while gaining valuable life skills.

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CNN

By Uriel Blanco and Merlin Delcid, CNN

(CNN) — A powerful earthquake in southern Mexico shook nearby countries Guatemala and El Salvador on Friday, with the US Geological Survey (USGS) measuring its preliminary magnitude at 7.3.

The earthquake’s epicenter was located 48 kilometers southwest of Aquiles Serdán, a town in the Mexican coastal state of Chiapas, according to the USGS.

The quake appears to have caused moderate to severe shaking along the coast. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) had cautioned that hazardous tsunami waves were possible within 300 km of the epicenter. Guatemala observed a few tsunamis less than one meter above the tide level but said the threat was low. The PTWC later said the threat had passed.

Mexico’s Secretary of the Navy, Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles, stated that there were “no issues” in the country following the quake.

“There is no serious damage. Regarding maritime conditions, water levels at some beaches are expected to rise by up to half a meter due to the earthquake. The public is advised to stay away from beaches for the time being,” Morales Ángeles said at the end of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s daily morning press conference.

The Chiapas Civil Protection has reported at least two injuries: One person was hurt after jumping from the third floor of a building, and another was injured when a door fell at a car dealership. Authorities have also responded to gas leaks and reports of collapsed walls, detached ceiling panels, cracks and other minor structural damage.

Salomón Jara Cruz, the governor of the Mexican state of Oaxaca, said that the quake was felt “with moderate intensity” in the state’s capital city and that “no significant damage” has been reported.

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo said no fatalities have been reported yet and that emergency response plans are being deployed. Authorities have reported damaged building facades and other unspecified “collapses.” As a precaution, the education ministry suspended classes in several western regions.

El Salvador’s fire department reported that no damage has been seen in the country so far.

Multiple aftershocks have been felt in the region, including one with a preliminary magnitude of 6.0, according to USGS.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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Mitchell McCluskey and Michael Rios contributed to this report.

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