SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The return of smoke has been a common occurrence this summer, but with fall on the doorstep, we’ll be looking for any signs of improvement.

Since May, Sioux Falls has officially recorded 12 days with observable smoke in the air at the surface. This doesn’t count some of the days with hazy skies and smoke aloft higher in the atmosphere.

Canadian wildfires burning thousands of miles away continue to be the issue. You can see the smoke plume from the past couple of days descending our direction. The Canadian wildfires have burned 38 million acres of land so far this season, covering more land than the entire state of Iowa.

The weather patterns causing the warmer and drier than normal patterns there are not done. The 10-day temperature map shows a resurgence of much above normal temperatures again in these same areas of Canada as shown by the red and orange colors.

So while we wait for cooler weather, don’t be surprised to have more smoke-filled skies yet this September.