Wildfire Smoke From Canada Threatens Arrival Conditions at Oshkosh AirVenture 2026
Smoke from wildfires may delay some arrivals into EAA AirVenture Oshkosh this year. The air quality map from AccuWeather shows a smoke plume from Canada, which is experiencing a record number of wildfires, reaching the Midwest and stretching to the Northeast. Conditions range from moderate and poor to unhealthy and dangerous. According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Fire Management dashboard, as of Thursday afternoon, there are 673 wildfires burning in Wisconsin. As of noon CDT Thursday the Air Quality Index in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was listed as 414 Hazardous due to elevated levels of fine particulates in the wildfire smoke. AirVenture is scheduled for Monday, July 20, through Sunday, July 26, at Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH). READ MORE: Historic Lineup Will Take Center Stage at AirVenture's Boeing Plaza READ MORE: NASA's Super Guppy Will Miss AirVenture Due to Storm Damage A check of METARs from Grand Forks, North Dakota, to Binghamton, New York, show MVFR to IFR conditions due to smoke (FU). Weather officials monitoring the event noted that the poor air quality over the Upper Midwest and Pennsylvania, New York, and New England will likely remain through the weekend as more smoke comes down from the north. For pilots, smoke and haze can quickly reduce visibility and make the automated weather information gleaned from local airports questionable as the distance reported by the airport automated weather machine is significantly greater than what the pilots in the sky are seeing. Haze makes the eyes focus to infinity, which makes judging distances difficult if not impossible. Poor visibility can also be present at altitude as it is often impossible to determine how high up the smoke extends. Pilots attempting to reach Oshkosh should be prepared for a cat-and-mouse game as the visibility is often better in early morning, with just a light haze in the vicinity, but by early afternoon it can turn to IFR-producing smoke. Pilots who have already made it to KOSH are using social media to share PIREPs about visibility. Some are warning others that VFR is not a possibility. This isn't the first time AirVenture has been under a blanket of smoke. In 2023 and '24, Canadian wildfires turned the morning skies over Oshkosh a sepia-tone color for part of the week, making for some dramatic photographs but very poor air quality.