Around 75 million people across the Midwest, Northeast, and Southeast parts of the United States are facing air quality alerts as wildfire smokes from Canada extended into major US cities.
Hazy skies continued to dominate a vast area of the country, with smoke enveloping the landscape from the Ohio Valley all the way down to the Carolinas on Monday.
In response to deteriorating air quality, air quality advisories were issued on Monday for southeastern Minnesota, sections of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and over 60 counties in Wisconsin.
The presence of smoke and the resulting impact on air quality has prompted authorities to take precautionary measures in these affected areas.
“The expectation is the low level smoke will increase in concentration heading into the afternoon as another significant push comes down from the north and west,” the National Weather Service said in a forecast Wednesday.
Schools cancel outdoor activities
The severity of the situation escalated in New York City, as the smoke and deteriorating air quality reached extremely unhealthy levels on Wednesday. As a precautionary measure, all outdoor activities for public schools in New York City were canceled.
The decision was made to prioritize the well-being and safety of students and staff, recognizing the potential health risks associated with prolonged exposure to hazardous air conditions. Authorities are closely monitoring the situation and taking necessary steps to address the challenges posed by the smoke and its impact on air quality in the city.
New York State to make 1 million N95 masks due to poor air quality
To address the deteriorating air quality and protect the public, Governor Kathy Hochul revealed plans to provide one million N95 masks to the residents of New York. Starting Thursday, officials will distribute 400,000 masks at various locations including MTA stations, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, state parks, and the Javits Center.
This initiative aims to ensure that individuals have access to proper respiratory protection in the face of ongoing smoke-related challenges.
City ranking by air pollution
New York City ranked worst in the world for air pollution for much of Tuesday evening, but briefly lost the top spot to Delhi, India overnight, according to IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company. However, New York City regained the title early on Wednesday. These rankings show the serious air pollution problem in the city and the need for action to improve the air quality.
Detroit came in fourth and Toronto 21st early Wednesday, after the Canadian city featured in the top five for much of Tuesday.
New flare-ups in Canada
Fire season in Quebec and Canada usually starts in May, slightly before the typical start of fire activity in the United States. But this year has been particularly alarming for Canadian officials.
Canada, currently on its highest preparedness level for wildfires, experienced several new flare-ups on Tuesday:
- At least nine new wildfires were reported.
- The country currently has 415 active fires, with 238 of them being out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Fire Center.
- Quebec had 158 active fires, Alberta had 70, British Columbia had 68, and Ontario had 79.
Wildfires in Quebec in 2023
Following the wildfire patterns, Quebec would have experienced flare-ups on 297 hectares (around 734 acres) around this time. However:
- At least 431 fires have already devastated a staggering 382,100 hectares (944,190 acres) in the province, as reported by Quebec’s fire prevention agency.
- Nova Scotia has also witnessed its largest wildfire on record, an ongoing and uncontrollable fire near Barrington Lake in Shelburne County. This fire has spread to approximately 24,980 hectares (61,727 acres) in size.
- Across Canada, wildfires have scorched over 3.7 million hectares (9.1 million acres) so far this year.