Canadian wildfires cause air quality alerts as smoke hits U.S. - The Washington Post
Category: News & Politics
Via: perrie-halpern • last year • 55 commentsBy: Matthew Cappucci and Jason Samenow (Washington Post)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The smoke, emanating from Canada, is causing gray skies and poor air quality
By Matthew Cappucci and Jason SamenowUpdated June 6, 2023 at 9:33 p.m. EDT|Published June 6, 2023 at 1:10 p.m. EDTListen5 minComment on this storyCommentGift ArticleShare
Smoky scenes — so common in California during recent summers — are now paying the eastern United States an unwelcome, improbable and toxic visit.
A thick veil of Canadian wildfire smoke is spreading south over much of the Midwest, Ohio Valley, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, bringing milky-white skies and dangerous air pollution to the most populous corridor of the country. Fine particles contained within the smoke, hazardous to breathe, have prompted air quality alerts for tens of millions of people from South Carolina to New Hampshire.
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As of Tuesday evening, New York City had the worst air quality in the world among major cities. Scenes from social media and web cameras showed the sky above Manhattan tinged a reddish-orange hue, drawing comparisons to Mars.
"If you're a New Yorker with heart or breathing issues, be careful when you're outdoors," said the City of New York in a tweet signed by the mayor. "Smoke from wildfires in Canada is impacting our city's air, so an Air Quality Health Advisory has been issued. Try to limit outdoor activities today to the absolute necessities."
Smoke invaded the D.C. area yet again Tuesday and could get worse
In some places, air quality measurements are the worst on record. Marshall Burke, a professor of environment at Stanford University, tweeted that this event is the "[n]ear worst or worst event" in the past two decades or so, based on smoke particle data.
New Haven, Conn., posted its worst air quality on record while EPA measurements showed hazardous smoke pollution enveloping much of New York state and southern New England.
Where are the wildfires causing the smoke?
Current wildfires across Canada via @NRCanhttps://t.co/YR85GAQAoQ.
Red - out of control
Yellow - being held
Blue - under control pic.twitter.com/PzqScZHEUo — Dayna Vettese ️ (@daynavettese) June 5, 2023
The source of much of the smoke pouring into the region is Quebec, Canada. Most broke out in the past week. Across Canada, there are 416 active fires, 240 of which the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center lists as "out of control."
The wildfires cropped up beneath a well-predicted "heat dome," or zone of high pressure, which brought sinking air and warm, dry conditions that broke records for the time of year and location.
Low pressure swirling clockwise over Nova Scotia, meanwhile, is making for a conveyor belt of northerly winds that is pumping the smoke south over the Great Lakes, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
Midwest, Northeast face unusual summer fire threat as drought expands
Where is the smoke and where is it worst?
Satellite imagery Tuesday evening showed smoke covering the Northeast and extending into the Carolinas. The thickest extended from lakes Erie and Ontario to near New York City.
Today's horribly smoky day in the Eastern US as seen by satellite. pic.twitter.com/6iY5QjQqm8 — CIRA (@CIRA_CSU) June 7, 2023
That said, poor air quality reached as far west as Minnesota on Tuesday, according to AirNow.gov, and a few hints of smoke were even flirting with the Georgia-Florida border.
Environmental agencies plastered air quality alerts across an expansive swath of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, in effect into Wednesday, cautioning that "sensitive individuals, including those with heart or lung disease, the elderly, and the young should limit strenuous activities and the amount of time active outdoors."
The alerts cover northern South Carolina, much of North Carolina, northern Virginia, much of Maryland, Delaware, eastern Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and western New Hampshire.
Wildfire smoke again hits the East Coast. How bad is it for your health?
During Tuesday, some of the worst air quality was concentrated in western New York into Quebec and Ontario, where code red and purple conditions were prevalent, meaning air quality was hazardous for all populations.
Jase Bernhardt, a professor of meteorology at Hofstra University, determined that the Air Quality Index in Syracuse, N.Y., was the worst since reliable records began in 1999.
Particle pollution in Detroit and New York registered at the highest and second-highest levels, respectively, since 2006, Stanford's Burke found.
Meanwhile, forecasters at the Weather Service in Burlington, Vt., called the smoke situation "uncharted territory," having never dealt with it before. "[W]e are learning and adapting as the event unfolds," they wrote in a discussion.
How long will it last?
With no end in sight to the fires, the question of how long the smoke lingers comes down to wind direction. Michigan, Indiana and Ohio should see improvement into Tuesday night, but Pennsylvania, the Virginias, Tennessee and the Carolinas will probably see smoke stick around.
Then on Wednesday into Thursday, an even worse round of wildfire smoke could waft south out of Canada on the backside of a north-to-south-moving cold front. Pennsylvania, New York state and the Mid-Atlantic — including major metro areas such as Philadelphia, Newark, New York, Baltimore, Washington and Richmond — are likely to see very poor air quality. Outdoor recreation would probably be hazardous.
Winds will become more northwesterly Friday into Saturday. While that won't fully clear the smoke, it will bring a reduction in the concentrations of fine particulate matter. Visibilities, sky conditions and air quality will improve somewhat.
How unusual are the fires?
Maybe the worst air quality New York City has seen in a long time as a smokey haze shrouds the sun as it rises behind midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building, Tuesday #newyorkcity#nyc#newyork#haze@EmpireStateBldg@agreatbigcity#sunrisepic. — Gary Hershorn (@GaryHershorn) June 6, 2023
Very unusual. Wildfires are normal to an extent across Canada and the western United States in the summertime, but outbreaks as widespread and numerous as these are virtually unheard of in late May into June. The amount of smoke pouring into the Northeast is thus also exceptional.
More than 3.7 million acres are believed to have already been torched in Canada.
The Canadian Broadcast Corp. published a sobering graph comparing area burned thus far this year with prior years:
Some perspective on the Canadian wildfires...this shows total million hectares burned in Canada.
At over 3.5 million hectares burned so far, not only is this year beyond all but one of the past 6 year totals but will do it before the true wildfire season begins in — Jim Teske (@JimTeskeNC9) June 6, 2023
While wildfires can be sparked in many different ways, the rapidity with which they spread is proportional to how hot and dry the ambient environment is. There exists a strong link between the frequency and intensity of heat domes and human-caused climate change. A number of high-end heat domes have already fostered wildfire outbreaks across Canada this year, and more appear to be in the offing.
'Unprecedented' Canadian fires intensified by record heat, climate change
Jason Samenow contributed to this report.
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So sue!!! What is America waiting for? Voluntary compensation?
We're just waiting for the Canadians to do the right thing...smirk
I lived in Alaska for 3 years. Used to get some awful wild fires there. I went running one day during an episode and had an allergy attack right after
The North East wants reparations. Is there a committee studying it yet?
I think the committee is still studying the effects of the acid rain from Michigan dumped on Ontario by the westerly winds.
Well we all know the Canadians love to share just like us when bushfire season is going full bore...
The Kiwis complain as well when they cop our smoke...not our fault their islands are in the way..😁
Here for Canada and California:
Dumb asses!
Get out of the wrong side of the bed again Vic...
Don't worry there is a pill for that. 😁
Comon shona...that wouldn't have happened in Australia.
Don't worry there is a pill for that.
It comes in liquid form. It's called the "Wiley Wallaby."
The new normal it seems.
For some reason the God's who are a crazy bunch have steered the smoke around Montreal and life is normal. My sympathies to New Yorkers both State and City.
It's pretty hazy here in Virginia. I can usually see the town where I work from my house, and the mountain on the other side of the valley. Not today. Gray-out.
Never knew what a clear sky was until we moved from the Chicago area to Colorado way back in the day.
Hoagy Carmichael - Old Buttermilk Sky - YouTube
So far what we've seen around south central NC it's just another day. There is smoke but it's not above a level we aren't used to with the controlled burns that are carried out here to prevent such fires.
Can smell it and see a haze somewhat here in Charlotte and down in Rock Hill,SC
The Fayetteville area is used to all the smoke because of the controlled burns Fort Bragg does annually. Right now it's nothing new.
Ruh, roh, I sense in the future someone will call you out for using the incorrect name!
Yeah another ridiculously stupid virtue signaling move
CT sucks today. Not only is it hazy but it smells. No grass cutting today.
Let them. I'm not going to shit on those who served here because some peckerhead was offended.
It's exactly what it was. They wasted some $7 million to change the name while the infrastructure here is falling to hell.
Just another day here.
Maryland smells like a tire fire today. I can’t imagine what NYC is going through.
So glad it's not here. It's really nice today. Maybe the jet stream will take some of this great clean air east for you guys. We know what that smoke is like. It's not fun.
Had the smoke from Canada since yesterday afternoon with a NE wind, the wind switched straight out of the North, as the smoke started to diminish from Canada we had a forest fire start straight north of here and the visibility went to two miles and is still hazy after the wind is now out of the East where the Canada smoke is now the thickest. For a few days the winds will be from the NE quadrant again pulling the smoke from Canada. This is something similar to what happened when California was on fire back in late summer and fall of 2020, maybe that was 2021, we had a great garden from the fertilizer falling from the sky and no frost until November that year.
We're sorry
Saw NYC on the news this morning - WOW!!! I'd stay inside if I were there. I don't recall from my whole life in Canada anything like this - I have to put it down to the changing climate conditions.
It is bad. The sky was tangerine colored today...
Arvo jbb...as bad as it is speaking from experience here pretty well every year...you will get some spectacular sunrises and sunsets...and the sun often turns blood red..
We cop it every summer as we dance with devil... it is mother nature at her worst I am afraid..
In an ironic twist, Canada recognized it's annual Clean Air Day as wildfires continue to ravage Ontario and Quebec and pour smoky, yellow haze into the northeastern U.S. creating a dangerous air quality.
Evening Vic...rather unfortunate timing I guess with clean air day...
Bushfires do tend to create tonnes of smoke speaking from experience..goes with the territory..
Eventually the smoke will work it's way around the world as it does..Yes it's uncomfortable and inconvenient but not as much as the devastation and destruction to people, towns and wildlife...
Some things need to be put in perspective. Especially by people who live in cities. Some of them think the most dramatic thing in their lives is they can't turn their air con on because of the smoke...🙄
I assume that in Australia they have a Forestry Service that does burning and performs maintance to prevent or at least cut down of forest fires?
Maintenance had little to do with it, a record dry and hot Spring combined with lightning strikes did.
I don't see anything in that piece saying that Canada has carried out basic Forestry fire prevention.
Vast country with a small population and short temperate seasons that are mostly amenable to vast populations of biting insects. The green areas on the map are forests.
Looks a little better today. Quality alert in effect til tonight. Grass cutting will have to wait another day.
Evening Right..the smoke goes just as fast as it comes...
When it happens here and we are a couple of thousand ks away from the fire.... imagine what it is like at the front...
I read an article that the N95 masks block most of the lung-damaging effects of the smoke. I wouldn't cry for the anti-maskers, just as I wouldn't before. Actually, here is a link to the article. LINK ->
But... Some smoke leaks in around the edges, it's hard to breathe wearing a mask, it fogs up my glasses, it looks goofy, it only protects other people not me, and DeSantis has probably made wearing masks illegal anyway.
It protects other people, not you? Why? Do you breathe out smoke?
I just got the word:
"The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) has canceled live racing Thursday at Belmont Park due to poor air quality conditions forecast to impact Long Island and all of New York State throughout the day on Thursday."