Only at the end of Friday is the air quality expected to begin to “significantly improve” due to the change in winds.
Smoke from the wildfires in Canada is spreading across the northeastern United States, and air quality in cities like Washington and New York remains poor, a situation that will continue for several days.
Millions of people (the region has about 75 million inhabitants) remain alert to the risk of inhaling the potentially harmful air of the hundreds of forest fires in Canada, whose smoke cloud is visible through the satellites of the North American space agency, POT.
Large amounts of smoke have been pouring into the eastern US since the fires in Quebec. Smoke from wildfires is degrading the quality of the air at surface level that tens of millions of people breathe.
Several NASA satellites are collecting data on the plumes: https://t.co/r2NhDht0Cq pic.twitter.com/kT7UUrZu7z
—NASA (@NASA) June 8, 2023
In a statement, NASA explained that although smoke from Canadian wildfires passes over the United States several times during the summer, this is not noticeable because it occurs relatively high in the atmosphere and because winds normally blow the smoke into the atmosphere. east and down. the sea. This is not what is happening now, in the wake of a weather phenomenon known as a “coastal low pressure,” which pushed smoke into the southern and eastern United States and degraded air quality near the ground. that millions of people breathe. .
“Surface smoke contamination from New York to the DC region is the most significant since July 2002, when a similar event occurred,” said NASA scientist Ryan Stauffer.
In a statement, US President Joe Biden called on the population to regularly check the air quality in the place where they are through the website of the Environmental Protection Agency. “Stay safe and follow the instructions of the local authorities,” the President recommended, adding that what happened was “just another warning of the impacts of climate change.”
After the unusual images released on Wednesday of emblematic buildings such as the ‘Empire State Building’ surrounded by a cloud of orange smoke, the US Capitol in Washington ‘woke up’ this Thursday also wrapped in a smoke screen.
At a press conference, the mayor of the capital, Muriel Bowser, confirmed that the city has raised the alert level to the maximum. The official advised the population not to stay outdoors and to wear a mask if necessary.
According to the director of the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA), Christopher Rodríguez, it will only be at the end of Friday that the air quality will begin to “improve significantly”, thanks to the change in winds.
Christopher Rodríguez pointed out that the public schools in the capital have canceled all outdoor activities, as has the Department of Parks and Recreation.
Due to poor air quality, the White House canceled an event to celebrate gay pride, planned to take place on the south lawn of the presidential mansion and in which the singer Betty Who would have participated.
Air quality in New York began to improve slightly on Thursday morning, although it remains at a “very unhealthy” level.
The Health Commissioner asked citizens not to go out unless it is “absolutely necessary” and recommended the use of masks for those who have to carry out outdoor activities.
Philadelphia and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and other major cities including Baltimore, Newark, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Indianapolis were among the hardest hit Thursday.
Smoke from wildfires in Canada caused unprecedented air pollution in the US this spring, creating hazardous air quality from Bismarck, ND to Denver and from Detroit to New York City.
According to a subsequent analysis of smoke data through June 6 from Stanford University, 160 air… pic.twitter.com/xQuBBfTeSo
—The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) June 8, 2023
Visibility problems caused by smoke in the skies over the region prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to temporarily suspend flights to Philadelphia and LaGuardia and to delay all flights to Newark. Although there have been delays throughout the morning, so far there have been few cancellations at these airports, according to data from the “FlightAware” air traffic monitoring page.
In Canada, although air quality improved early Thursday, the Weather Service forecast the gauge to drop to “high risk” levels in cities including Toronto later that day.
In the Greater Toronto Area, home to more than six million people, one seventh of Canada’s population, authorities recommend that the elderly, children and those with health conditions reduce strenuous outdoor activities physical.
Of the roughly 400 active wildfires in the country, nearly half are out of control. In the province of Quebec alone there are 150 forest fires.
Joe Biden on Thursday reaffirmed his offer to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of “unconditional support” to respond to the fires and recalled that more than 600 American firefighters have already been deployed in the area.
The latest data from the Canadian authorities indicate that since January the flames have consumed 3.8 million hectares of forest, when the average since 1990 is that forest fires burn a total of 2.5 million hectares per year.
Source: Observadora
