Red, hazy skies hung over the Northeast and Midwest this week, lending an eerie mood to the end of spring and dawning of summer.
Are the skies expected to clear up soon? The answer lies up north in Canada, where wildfire season got off to an early start. Last month, Audacy reported on a tangle of conspiracy theories related to the fires.
According to the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service, “more than 100 wildland fires,” had already started by the time the typical Canadian wildfire season began in May. By May 11, around a million acres had burned, and more than 29,000 people in Alberta and British Columbia were forced to evacuate their homes.
As of Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service said wildfire smoke was moving southward out of Canada and over the northern part of the U.S., leading to “Air Quality Alerts over parts of the Upper Great Lakes to the Northeast.”
“A highly unusual scenario supporting wildfire spread is possible today across parts of the Northeast. Dry/breezy surface conditions and dry thunderstorms are possible this afternoon,” said a tweet from the NWS Storm Prediction Center. “Gusty, erratic winds may also accompany the storms, further aggravating fire conditions.”
In Philadelphia, Pa., the Department of Environmental Protection declared a Code Orange Air Quality Action Day Tuesday.
“Smoke due to wildfires in eastern Canada will likely contribute to daily average concentrations of fine particulate matter in the Code Orange range on Tuesday,” said the department.
Further east, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos and State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for the Long Island, New York City Metro, Lower Hudson Valley, Upper Hudson Valley, Adirondacks, Eastern Lake Ontario, and Central New York regions Tuesday.
“A fiery, red sun rose in a sky packed with smoke Tuesday morning,” said AccuWeather of the skies over New York. “Wildfire smoke from more than 3,000 miles away in Canada transformed the morning sunrise across parts of the East into an orange, photo-worthy hazy.”
In the Midwest, the Minneapolis Air Quality Index also issued an Air Quality Alert Tuesday.
“Millions of people across the Midwest are under dangerous air quality conditions Monday, as smoke from wildfires in eastern Canada wafts over the region,” said NBC News. “Hazy skies have blanketed a wide swath of the country from the Ohio Valley to as far south as the Carolinas. Air quality advisories are in effect Monday in southeastern Minnesota and parts of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, as well as in more than 60 counties in Wisconsin.”
Wildfires in Canada were raging so fiercely this week that they were spotted by the International Space Station.
As of Sunday, the CBC reported that Quebec’s fire authority said it was unable to bring all 153 fires burning in the province under control.
“We took charge of 35 fires today, compared to 21 yesterday. We chose specific fires to protect our critical infrastructures, but above all to protect our population,” said Public Security Minister François Bonnardel at a news conference.
How long might these fires last? According to Reuters, warm and dry conditions are forecast through the end of summer – that means that there is increased risk of the blazes through August.
“Canada is on track for its worst-ever year of wildfire destruction as warm and dry conditions are forecast to persist through to the end of the summer after an unprecedented start to the fire season, officials said on Monday,” the outlet reported.
Those interested can keep up on air quality conditions in the U.S. with this interactive map.
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