NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — Raging Canadian wildfires blanket the northeastern United States in a dystopian haze, turning the air acrid, the sky yellowish-gray and prompting warnings for vulnerable populations to stay indoors.
The effects of hundreds of wildfires burning in western provinces as far away as Quebec could be felt as far away as New York City and New England, blotting out skylines and irritating throats.
US authorities issued air quality alerts. Foggy and smoky conditions have been reported from wildfires in the Great Lakes region from Cleveland to Buffalo.
A smoky haze that hung over New York City for much of the day Tuesday thickened late in the afternoon, obscuring views of New Jersey across the Hudson River and making the setting sun look like a reddish orb. In the Philadelphia area, dusk brought more than a lavender haze.
Sal and Lilly Murphy of Brooklyn compared the burning smell to a campfire. They said they could even smell the smoke inside a restaurant in Manhattan, then went outside and saw a sky that looked like it was about to storm, but it wasn’t raining. Lilly wore a mask to protect herself.
“It’s a little scary,” Sal Murphy said.
Smoke from the wildfires has been billowing across the northeastern states of the United States for weeks, but it’s only recently that it’s been noticed in most places.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday’s hazy skies “were hard to miss,” and New York City Mayor Eric Adams encouraged residents to limit outdoor activities free “to the absolute needs”.
The National Weather Service has issued an air quality alert for New York City and parts of the tri-state area with residents experiencing the worst air quality in the world on Tuesday.
On Wednesday morning, New York saw minimal improvement falling to second place in Delhi, India.
City health officials are asking residents to limit outdoor activities as air quality is expected to remain at “unhealthy” to “very unhealthy” levels with no improvement through Thursday as see you very soon
What is happening?
Smoke from wildfires in Canada has moved into the United States since last month. The most recent fires near Quebec have been burning for at least several days.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said hazy skies, reduced visibility and the smell of burning wood are likely, and the smoke will linger for a few days in northern states.
“It’s not unusual for us to have fire smoke in our area. It’s very typical for Northwest Canada,” said Darren Austin, a meteorologist and senior air quality specialist for the Rhode Department of Environmental Management. Island. But usually the smoke has cleared and not affected people’s health, he said.
The fires in the Quebec area are large and relatively close, about 500 to 600 miles (roughly 800 to 970 kilometers) from Rhode Island. More than 8.7 million acres (an area larger than the state of Vermont) have burned.
RELATED | Canada’s Wildfire Status Tracker
Jay Engle, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Upton, Long Island, said the wind path that saw smoke and hazy conditions in the New York City area could continue for the next few days. Of course, he said, the main driver of the conditions is the fires themselves. If they decrease, so would the fog.
Environmental Canada experts said they expect more frequent fires due to climate change, which could lead to a doubling of the amount of land burned by the end of this century.
What is the biggest concern?
Air quality alerts are triggered by a number of factors, including the detection of fine particulate pollution, known as “PM 2.5”, which can irritate the lungs.
“We have defenses in our upper airways to trap larger particles and prevent them from going down into the lungs. These are just the right size to get past those defenses,” said Dr. David Hill, a pulmonologist in Waterbury, Conn., and a member of the American Lung Association National Board of Directors. “When these particles go down into the respiratory space, they cause the body to have an inflammatory reaction.”
Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford said atmospheric conditions in the upper Midwest, creating a dry and warm climate, made it possible for small particles to travel hundreds of miles from wildfires. Canadians and lasted for days.
“It’s a good example of how complex the climate system is, but also how connected it is,” Ford said.
Dr. Mangala Narasimhan, SVP, Critical Care Services, Northwell, said smoke in the air “affects many different parts of your lungs. It causes you irritation, it makes people cough, it causes difficulty breathing because the air is very heavy.”
People with underlying lung diseases such as COPD, emphysema, or asthma should use extra caution.
Air quality monitoring | Air quality monitoring ABC7
Additional reporting by the Associated Press
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