Smoke from raging wildfires in Canada is once again descending on major cities in the Northeast.
As smoke swept across the northeast coast on Thursday, the sky took on a yellowish, misty cast, raising fears of last year’s wildfires.
In a statement on X.com, the National Weather Service wrote:
“You may see a foggy sky today. It’s from the smoke from wildfires, which has spread from north to south across the area.”
Smoke from raging Canadian wildfires has once again descended on major cities in the Northeast
“We expect this to continue for the coming days. We do not expect any adverse impacts on air quality at this time,” they added.
The smoke is predicted to affect a number of cities, including New York, Washington DC, Boston, Baltimore and Philadelphia.
Ben Noll, a meteorologist with the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research, posted an image of the smoke’s path.
The image shows wavy green streaks representing smoke drifting toward the northeast.
Ben Noll, a meteorologist with the National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research, posted an image of the smoke’s path
“It’s happening again: Smoke from the Canadian wildfires will increase across the northeastern U.S. today,” Noll wrote.
“From New York to Boston and parts of the North, there is a chance of foggy afternoon and evening skies,” he continued, before adding that “smoke will remain prominent into the weekend.”
The NWS has urged people sensitive to poor air quality to “keep outdoor activities light and short.”
High air pressure causes smoke to rise over Canada and towards the east coast.
As smoke drifted across the northeastern coastline, the sky appeared yellowish and hazy, raising fears about last year’s bushfires
Dave Dombek, a leading meteorologist at AccuWeatherInc., said The Philadelphia Inquirer that the source of the smoke had been identified about 4,000 kilometres away in the Alberta forests, where about 56,000 hectares were on fire last week.
Winds initially pushed the smoke toward northeastern Canada, before moving south toward the northeastern United States.
According to information released by the Canadian government on August 7, there are currently 155 uncontrolled wildfires, in addition to the 297 that are contained or under control.
In early June 2023, wildfires tore through Canada, burning an area larger than West Virginia.
Last year, smoke from the fires blanketed the skies over the northeastern United States, causing poor air quality in several cities.
Smoke from the fires blanketed the skies over the northeastern United States, causing air quality in several cities to deteriorate.
Experts have reassured people that the smoke will not pose as much of a threat this year.
“It’s a very different situation,” Dombek explained to the Researcher.
This is because the smoke has remained in the middle and upper layers of the atmosphere and has not descended to the levels where we breathe.