Wildfire Smoke, Heat, and Floods Are Disrupting Summer Camps and Outdoor Activities Across the U.S.

This summer, a series of extreme weather events — wildfire smoke drifting from northern Minnesota and Canada, heat waves pushing temperatures near 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and widespread flooding — disrupted summer camps and family plans across the country. Fires in northern Minnesota devastated communities and sent dangerous smoke across large portions of the Midwest and Northeastern United States. Deadly floods prompted disaster declarations in parts of Texas. A heat wave in July was described by meteorologists as the "new normal" for the July Fourth period, according to NPR.

At Beauvoir Summer Camp in Washington, D.C., director Drew Mackay said campers spent at least one free swim day indoors due to hazardous air quality, and earlier heat forced reductions in outdoor play time. "For us, it's a new reality," Mackay told NPR. Henry DeHart, CEO of the American Camp Association, said that while camps have always managed weather variability, the frequency of extreme heat days has increased noticeably. Where a camp might once have seen three to five days with a heat index above 105 degrees Fahrenheit in a summer, DeHart said, some now see eight to ten.

Camp Widjiwagan in Ely, Minnesota — which hosts more than 700 campers each summer — evacuated in July as wildfires approached. The camp drew widespread attention after a photograph showed 19 of its canoes submerged in lake water; executive director Ben Hoffman said staff made the decision to sink fragile historic canoes that could not be safely moved. "This is a pivotal moment," Hoffman said. "We have never sunk canoes at camp."