Canadian Wildfire Smoke Reaches the East Coast
Smoke from the Canadian wildfires has been impacting cities across the East Coast obscuring the sky and reducing air quality.
The fires producing the smoke over the East Coast began in Quebec province Canada in late May and early June. So far, over 460,000 hectares have burned in Quebec or nearly 860,000 football fields.
Attention to the smoke and fires has come into focus this week as the plume reached the East Coast and particularly New York City. Orange haze covered the sky reducing visibility to less than a mile in some instances. Scenes like this haven’t been seen since the West Coast wildfires in 2020.
The air quality in the city has been ranging from unhealthy to hazardous where everyone is recommended to remain indoors. The main culprit has been the levels of PM 2.5. Particular matter thirty times smaller than a human hair from the smoke is small enough to enter into the lungs causing short-term health effects such as irritation, coughing, sneezing, runny nose and shortness of breath.
There may be some better news on the way for the I-95 major metros. Shifts in atmospheric conditions will bring the thickest areas smoke further west over the Midwest. Shown below is the High Resolution Rapid Refresh Model near surface smoke density and gives some indication of where the smoke may travel.
The link between wildfires and climate change is still an area of study. It’s not as straight forward as more heat causes more fires. However, what I hope the public takes away from this event is a renewed appreciation for the air we breathe and how sensitive we all are to changes in our local environment.