Millions in US under air quality alerts as Canada wildfires rage

ThatRobGuy · Jun 7, 2023

Live updates: US air quality polluted by Canadian wildfire smoke

More than 75 million people across the Northeast, Midwest and mid-Atlantic in the US are under air quality alerts as wildfire smoke originating from Canada shrouds major US cities. Follow here for the latest.

www.cnn.com

Around 75 million people across the Midwest, Northeast and Southeast parts of the US are under air quality alerts as wildfire smoke originating from Canada shrouds major US cities.
The smoke has been widespread and alerts include cities such as New York, Boston, Washington, DC, Charlotte, Detroit and Indianapolis.
The dangerous conditions will linger, according to forecasts. By Thursday morning, Delaware, Maryland, northern Virginia and the nation’s capital could see some of the worst air quality. You can track the air quality here.

MehGuy · Jun 7, 2023

Alright. Been seeing those electronic signs on the highway about poor air quality. Now I know why.

USincognito · Jun 7, 2023

How awful. A friend in Manhattan posted a photo and it looked like 1970s LA.

Hopefully people still have masks and are putting them to use.

trunks2k · Jun 7, 2023

I'm just outside Philadelphia, I was outside for about 5 minutes this morning getting my kids off the bus. My eyes were watering and my throat was stinging by the time I got back inside. It got significantly worse as the day went on. At that time the AQI was around 180. At 10PM, it was over 300. It's down to 280 now.

ThatRobGuy · Jun 8, 2023

trunks2k said:
I'm just outside Philadelphia, I was outside for about 5 minutes this morning getting my kids off the bus. My eyes were watering and my throat was stinging by the time I got back inside. It got significantly worse as the day went on. At that time the AQI was around 180. At 10PM, it was over 300. It's down to 280 now.

In the Northeast Ohio area...it was around AQI 85 yesterday...hovering around 110 at the moment (but they're saying another plume is headed this way).

Took about an hour of being outside for it to start having the watery eyes effect at those levels for me.

My Aunt lives in Jersey, and I guess it was pretty rough there yesterday. She said a walk from the car to the grocery was enough to cause the scratchy throat.

ThatRobGuy · Jun 8, 2023

USincognito said:
How awful. A friend in Manhattan posted a photo and it looked like 1970s LA.

Hopefully people still have masks and are putting them to use.

I would imagine people still have some of their covid masks left over (and hopefully ones that are n95).

Although, that won't do anything for the impact on the eyes it's having on some people.

They're calling for some rain and storms this weekend (hopefully with some wind that'll knock some of this stuff away)

wing2000 · Jun 8, 2023

ThatRobGuy said:
I would imagine people still have some of their covid masks left over (and hopefully ones that are n95).

Although, that won't do anything for the impact on the eyes it's having on some people.

They're calling for some rain and storms this weekend (hopefully with some wind that'll knock some of this stuff away)

I understand there's been a large weather system off the coast of Nova Scotia that is channeling the smoke over the N.E. US....hopefully that system breaks up soon.

From Canada:
"About 3.8 million hectares (9.4 million acres) have already burned, roughly 15 times the 10-year average, according to federal Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair. Warm, dry conditions were expected to persist in the months ahead.

Although wildfires are common in Canada, it is unusual for blazes to be burning simultaneously in the east and west, stretching firefighting resources and forcing the Canadian government to send in the military to help. Hundreds of U.S. firefighters arrived in Canada to help and more were on their way."

Wildfires burn across Canada with little relief in sight

Forest fires continued to burn across Canada on Thursday as the country endured its worst-ever start to wildfire season, forcing thousands of people from their homes and sending a smoky haze billowing across U.S. cities.

www.reuters.com

RocksInMyHead · Jun 8, 2023

trunks2k said:
I'm just outside Philadelphia, I was outside for about 5 minutes this morning getting my kids off the bus. My eyes were watering and my throat was stinging by the time I got back inside. It got significantly worse as the day went on. At that time the AQI was around 180. At 10PM, it was over 300. It's down to 280 now.

Pretty gross here in central PA as well - AQI currently 465 at my location. On the bright side, I get to work from home the rest of the week.

jayem · Jun 8, 2023

The front page of our local paper had a photo of people wearing masks walking through brownish yellow air on the Brooklyn Bridge. It looks terrible. I'm not sure paper masks are enough. Scuba gear would probably be better.

And for once, we really can blame Canada. :oldthumbsup:

PsaltiChrysostom · Jun 8, 2023

My normal view of Chesapeake Bay from work

Yesterday's view

wing2000 · Jun 8, 2023

jayem said:
The front page of our local paper had a photo of people wearing masks walking through brownish yellow air on the Brooklyn Bridge. It looks terrible. I'm not sure paper masks are enough. Scuba gear would probably be better.

And for once, we really can blame Canada.

I think we all of us carbon-producing-humans share at least some of the blame. Western US and Canada have been dealing with these wildfires for several years...maybe this will be a wakeup call for the folks in Washington D.C.?

ThatRobGuy · Jun 8, 2023

jayem said:
The front page of our local paper had a photo of people wearing masks walking through brownish yellow air on the Brooklyn Bridge. It looks terrible. I'm not sure paper masks are enough. Scuba gear would probably be better.

And for once, we really can blame Canada.

I'm going to toss my name in for President and run on the platform of "We're going to build a big beautiful fan, and we're going to make Canada pay for it"

Landon Caeli · Jun 8, 2023

If your lungs are healthy, just breathe it mask-free. I do it all the time with our wildfires.

ThatRobGuy · Jun 8, 2023

wing2000 said:
I think we all of us carbon-producing-humans share at least some of the blame. Western US and Canada have been dealing with these wildfires for several years...maybe this will be a wakeup call for the folks in Washington D.C.?

I would say our pollution is a contributor to the long term patterns we've seen with wildfires over the past few decades, but based on what their natural resources ministry says, what's happening this year in Canada is an anomaly that deviates even from that pre-established pattern.

"The distribution of fires from coast to coast this year is unusual. At this time of the year, fires usually occur only on one side of the country at a time, most often that being in the west," said Michael Norton, an official with Canada's Natural Resources ministry.

Belk · Jun 8, 2023

Welcome to my summer out here in the west for the last 5 years or so. Get used to it because it is going to be the new normal.

durangodawood · Jun 8, 2023

wing2000 said:
I think we all of us carbon-producing-humans share at least some of the blame. Western US and Canada have been dealing with these wildfires for several years...maybe this will be a wakeup call for the folks in Washington D.C.?

Wake up calls for climate warming will have to be the roof crashing onto our bed. Thats how comatose we are on the matter.

Goonie · Jun 8, 2023

Alarm at rightwing push to reverse clean-energy success in Texas and beyond

Supporters of clean energy say they expect further battles ahead to prevent state’s progress in solar and wind from being unwound

www.google.co.uk

And the republicans campaign to end renewable energy and increase dependence on fossil fuels.

rambot · Jun 8, 2023

Hahaaa! EAT it US!! Canada! Canada!

Actually no. 4 weeks ago we had it soooo bad. Maybe 300m visibility.

It's not nice.

RocksInMyHead · Jun 9, 2023

Much better here today. Had a little rain this morning, which I think helped clear things up a bit.

Millions in US under air quality alerts as Canada wildfires rage

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