Here’s how Canadian wildfires are worsening air quality across the U.S.

Dozens of wildfires are burning in the Canadian province of Québec, and the smoke is so bad that it’s causing air quality problems across large swaths of the U.S.

The National Weather Service said air quality has “plummeted” across the Northeast.

Officials from the Midwest to the East Coast and as far south as North Carolina are warning residents to take precautions as the hazy smoke floats south and poses a risk to public health.

Canada has been experiencing a particularly brutal wildfire season this year, as extreme weather is worsening in part due to climate change. Blazes have recently flared up across Alberta, British Columbia and Nova Scotia.

Earlier fires have also sent smoke into the neighboring U.S., and Canadian officials are warning that the country’s wildfire situation may get worse as the summer wears on.

“This is a scary time for a lot of people, not just in Alberta, but right across the country, including in the Atlantic, the North and Québec, too,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a news conference on Monday.

Canada is in the midst of an especially bad wildfire season

So far this year, there have been 2,214 wildfires across Canada, according to Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair. The blazes have burned 3.3 million hectares — or more than 8 million acres.

The country is currently battling 413 wildfires, 249 of which are categorized as out of control, and an estimated 26,000 people remain evacuated from their homes.