Wednesday was the WORST wildfire pollution event in recent US history
Wednesday was the worst pollution from wildfires in recent U.S. history, experts confirmed — with more than 75 million Americans still under air quality alerts.
The microscopic soot and ash that traveled through the misty haze colored the atmosphere yellow and orange in New York City — disrupting flights, schools and sports games in a handful of other cities and states.
Stanford University professors have now confirmed that yesterday, June 7, was the worst exposure to toxic wildfires since 2006 in the US.
Their new, quick analysis revealed that based on population density and exposure to smoke from wildfires, the air on the East Coast on Wednesday was “much” worse than what California experienced during the September 2020 wildfires.
Tuesday, June 6, also ranked as the fourth worst day since their data began 17 years ago.
Marshall said, “Another look at the severity of the sustained smoke event. The table below shows the number of people in the mainland US exposed to 50 µg PM2.5 or 75 µg PM2.5 from wildfire smoke, ranked over all days since January 2006. Yesterday was by far the worst: >60 million people above 50 µg, a high level’
The microscopic soot and ash that traveled through the misty haze turned the atmosphere yellow and orange in New York City — and disrupted flights, schools and sports games in a handful of other cities and states
Stanford professors have now confirmed that yesterday, June 7, was the worst exposure to toxic wildfires in recent U.S. history
People shield their mouths in NYC’s orange haze on June 7
Marshall Burke (pictured) is the Stanford economist and sustainability professor who led the study
Marshall Burke, an economist and sustainability professor at Stanford who led the research, said on Thursday, “June 7 was by far the worst wildfire day on record in the US since 2006.
June 6th was the 4th worst. Just a huge, terrible event, where densely populated areas are hit by unprecedented pollution.’
Burke confirmed that the second and third worst days on record were September 13 and 14, 2020, respectively, during the wildfires that swept through California.
He also showed a breakdown of the data along with the tweet, “Another look at the severity of the ongoing smoke event.
The table below shows the number of people in the mainland US exposed to 50 µg PM2.5 or 75 µg PM2.5 from wildfire smoke, ranked over all days since January 2006.
“Yesterday was by far the worst: >60 million people over 50ug, a high level.”
Burke told me yesterday Heat map: ‘It’s pretty off the charts.
“It’s quite historic. We’re talking about the most populous parts of the country just getting hammered.”
Heavy smoke from wildfires in Canada turns the sky yellow as people walk through Times Square on June 7
A person walks near the World Trade Center in the orange haze
The data from Stanford University’s ECHOLab team is based on the statistical average amount of smoke from wildfires that an American inhales on any given day.
What made this week’s ordeal of wildfires so special is how the smoke affected so many people who live in such a densely populated area.
The west coast has more wildfires on average but has a smaller population.
The toxic orange smoke hovering over cities like New York, Boston and DC means many more people are affected – making it the worst day since 2006.
This comes as more than 1,000 flights along the East Coast have been delayed as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to plague the country.
California wildfires: A September 27, 2020 photo shows the burning landscape above Silverado Trail in St. Helena, California. The wildfires recorded some of the worst days in history – but the top spot has now been overtaken by Canada’s east coast wildfire experience
A photo taken on October 26, 2020 in Irvine, California. So far, those fires were the worst since 2006
Travel chaos will continue through Thursday due to the dangerous smog, and delays are expected to increase after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered several East Coast airports to halt operations due to poor visibility.
About 75 million people are currently below a certain level of air quality warning Thursday as residents of New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey and Virginia are suffocated by air quality that ranks worse than the world’s most polluted cities, such as Lahore, Pakistan and Delhi, India.
School districts in New Jersey and New York announced closures or updated schedules, while multiple states, including Pennsylvania — which has become the new epicenter — issued “code red” advisories for residents to stay indoors.
The origins of the fires have yet to be conclusively determined, but Canadian officials have been warning for years that better forest management is needed to prevent such a catastrophe.