Over 100 million in eastern US warned of 'unhealthy' air as Canadian wildfire smoke spreads south, west
New York City air quality levels were the worst ever in recorded history Wednesday and wildfire smoke remains a serious issue for much of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic States on Thursday.
When wildfire smoke will move away from Northeast
Smoky skies to persist over the Northeast through Friday, but rain over the weekend will help clear the air. June 8, 2023.
Relief is in sight for many Americans in the Northeast as Canadian wildfire smoke that has blanketed the region for days is expected to move down the East Coast by Friday. Until then, as of Thursday evening, more than 100 million people in the Northeast and across the country are still under poor air quality conditions.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, the concentration of smoke in the Northeastern U.S. will be much lower on Friday than on Wednesday and Thursday. Some smoke will linger over the region, but it should have minimal impact on air quality.
As wildfire smoke moves out of the Northeast, it will move into parts of the mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley. These areas will expected to experience the highest concentrations of wildfire smoke on Friday.
Most Americans will be free of wildfire smoke by late weekend, as a storm system from the Great Lakes will move in and produce thunderstorms that will help clear the air.
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The impacts of wildfire smoke from Canada
The smoke from wildfires in Canada created "unhealthy" and "hazardous" air quality conditions across the country this week.
New York City air quality levels reached the worst in recorded history Wednesday afternoon when the Air Quality Index (AQI) hit 405, smashing the previous record of 279 back in July 1981.
The wildfire smoke isn’t only causing issues on the ground. Flights from across the region have also been affected because visibility remains low.
On Thursday morning, the FAA said in a tweet that it paused flights from the Northeast, mid-Atlantic Ohio bound for New York’s LaGuardia Airport. Additionally, flights headed for Newark Liberty International Airport were paused.
A Delta Airbus A320 airplane takes off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on June 8, 2023, as smoke from wildfires in Canada blankets the area. (SAUL LOEB / AFP / Getty Images)
A ground stop was also put into effect at Philadelphia International Airport due to smoky conditions on Thursday morning, but flights resumed in the afternoon.
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The wildfire smoke also led to some baseball games being postponed due to the unhealthy air quality caused by the wildfire smoke.
Major League Baseball officials moved Thursday's game between the Washington Nationals and the Arizona Diamondbacks to June 22. Additionally, the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox game scheduled for Wednesday was moved to Thursday.
Where are Air Quality Alerts in effect on Thursday?
More than 100 million Americans across the eastern half of the country will be under Air Quality Alerts through Thursday night.
In the Northeast, cities from Providence, Rhode Island to Hartford, Connecticut, New York City and Philadelphia are included in those Air Quality Alerts.
In the mid-Atlantic, cities such as Baltimore, Washington D.C. are included. In addition, the entire state of North Carolina and areas of northeastern South Carolina are experiencing Air Quality Alerts.
In the Midwest, Air Quality Alerts are found throughout all of Ohio and Indiana, along with southern Michigan.
What are the current air quality levels in the Northeast?
Air quality levels have improved across northern New England, with Maine, New Hampshire, most of Vermont and parts of New York experiencing "Good" conditions.
However, "Moderate" to "Unhealthy" conditions continue across southern New England, the Northeast and the Midwest.
Cities such as Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Scranton, Pennsylvania, are all under "Unhealthy" air quality alerts. Large parts of eastern Virginia and southern New Jersey, and all of Delaware are experiencing "Unhealthy" conditions, as well.
Parts of the country experiencing "Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups" air quality alert levels include areas such as Massachusetts, Connecticut, southern New York, eastern Pennsylvania, northern New Jersey, and much of Maryland.
"Moderate" conditions can be found in parts of western Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Michigan.
What cities are experiencing the worst air quality levels in the U.S.?
Cities in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic were currently experiencing the worst air quality levels in the country.
As of early Thursday evening, there were no "Hazardous" levels listed, but the top five worst cities in the U.S. in terms of air quality levels were at "Unhealthy" levels.
The cities include Wilmington and Rolling Meadows in Delaware, Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, Kings Park West in Virginia and Washington, D.C.
How did the poor air quality from Canadian wildfire smoke begin?
The location of Canadian wildfire smoke for June 9 at 9 a.m. ET. (FOX Forecast Center / FOX Weather)
The smoke had been around for weeks along the U.S.-Canadian border, but weather patterns left most of the particles confined to higher altitudes, keeping impacts well above ground level.
But the recent development of a northerly wind over the fires, combined with high pressure helping to trap the smoke and pollutants closer to the surface, brought smoke to the surface over heavily populated areas of the Northeast.
By Friday morning, the worst of the smoke will push off Long Island and into the Atlantic Ocean. However, Washington D.C. and Baltimore could still deal with very smoky conditions.
Areas farther to the west will also be experiencing unhealthy air quality levels as more smoke arrives. In Pennsylvania, cities from State College to Pittsburgh across the western half of the Keystone State will need to take proper precautions and limit time outdoors due to the potentially hazardous AQIs.
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