SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The Indiana Department of Environmental Management has forecast an Air Quality Action Day for North Central and Northwest Indiana Thursday.

IDEM say the fine particulate matter levels are expected to be in the Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups range in the affected areas.

North Central Indiana areas include:

• Elkhart
• Goshen
• Knox
• Logansport
• Plymouth
• Peru
• South Bend
• Warsaw
• Winamac and all other cities within the area

Northwest Indiana areas include:

• Crown Point
• Gary
• Hammond
• Kentland
• La Porte
• Michigan City
• Portage
• Rensselaer
• Valparaiso and all other cities within the area

Officials say a shift to northeasterly winds Thursday morning is driving Canadian wildfire smoke south across the Great Lakes region, resulting in fine particulate monitor readings in Northwest and North Central Indiana beginning to rise, with elevated levels expected to persist throughout the day.

You can view air quality information for all Indiana counties on the IDEM website.

Air Quality Action Days are in effect from midnight to 11:59 p.m. on the specified date.

IDEM says some municipalities have additional open burning restrictions during action days. You can find that info on the IDEM website as well.