New York City air quality hits worst level on record as smoke from Canada wildfires engulfs the Northeast U.S. – “I can taste the air”

By Mike Ives and Liam Stack
7 June 2023

(The New York Times) – The sky in New York City rapidly darkened on Wednesday afternoon, as a plume of smoke from Canadian wildfires approached the nation’s largest city and sent the air quality index soaring past 324, the worst since the Environmental Protection Agency began recording air quality measurements in 1999.

Midtown Manhattan was plunged into a deep hazy orange and smoky clouds obscured visibility across the five boroughs and around the region, canceling some flights. Earlier in the day, commuters donned Covid masks to walk the streets, children were kept indoors at recess, some schools closed and officials warned millions of people to avoid going outside.

For much of Wednesday, the air quality index in Syracuse surpassed 400, according to AirNow, which designates a reading above 100 as “unhealthy” to breathe and above 300 as “hazardous.”

In Binghamton, about 60 miles south of Syracuse, Mike Hardiman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service said the city “looks like Mars” and “smells like cigars.”

Speaking to reporters, Gov. Kathy Hochul called the worsening air quality in New York “an emergency crisis,” warning it could last several days: “People have to prepare for this over the long haul.”

Hundreds of fires have been burning in eastern Canada for weeks. As smoke drifted south over parts of the U.S. Northeast and Midwest, one New York City commuter on Tuesday described the smell as progressing from “burnt toast” to “campfire.”

The air quality in New York remained the worst it has been since the 1960s, according to the city’s health commissioner, Ashwin Vasan. The city’s schools were open but were not holding outdoor activities, Mayor Eric Adams announced. Much of New York State was under an air quality health advisory alert — indicating that the index was expected to surpass 100 — that was in effect until Wednesday night.

The poor air quality could have widespread effects among healthy people and serious ones for those with respiratory conditions, according to federal guidelines. Such high readings are typical in smoggy megacities like Jakarta or New Delhi but rare in New York, where decades of state and federal laws have helped to reduce emissions.

Here’s what else to know:

• Canada, where nearly 250 fires were burning out of control as of early Wednesday, was also in for more haze. Parts of Quebec and Ontario were under a smog warning, and experts warned that the air in Toronto and elsewhere was likely to worsen — probably on Thursday — before getting better.
• Satellite imagery showed haze engulfing parts of the United States on Wednesday, and warnings were in effect across a wide portion of the Northeast and Midwest. Philadelphia was under a “code red,” meaning sensitive groups could be at risk.
• The haze was expected to linger for a couple of days because the weather system pushing it around the atmosphere was relatively stagnant, the National Weather Service said in a forecast. Forecast models showed that a more dense smoke layer could reach further west into cities like Pittsburgh on Thursday.

New York City Air Quality Hits Worst Level on Record

Canadian wildfire smoke spreads hazardous haze at home and in the US

By Jennifer Peltz and Rob Gillies
7 June 2023

NEW YORK (AP News) – Smoke from Canadian wildfires poured into the U.S. East Coast and Midwest on Wednesday, covering the capitals of both nations in an unhealthy haze, holding up flights at major airports and prompting people to fish out pandemic-era face masks.

While Canadian officials asked other countries for additional help fighting more than 400 blazes nationwide that already have displaced 20,000 people, air quality with what the U.S. rates as hazardous levels of pollution extended into central New York and northeastern Pennsylvania. Massive tongues of unhealthy air extended as far as North Carolina and Indiana, affecting millions of people.

“I can taste the air,” Dr. Ken Strumpf said in a Facebook post from Syracuse, New York, which was enveloped in an amber pall. The smoke, he later said by phone, even made him a bit dizzy.

In Baltimore, Debbie Funk sported a blue surgical mask as she and husband, Jack Hughes, took their daily walk around Fort McHenry, a national monument overlooking the Patapsco River. The air hung thick over the water, obscuring the horizon as distant ships pushed slowly through the haze.

“I walked outside this morning, and it was like a waft of smoke,” said Funk. She said the couple planned to stay inside later Wednesday, as officials were urging.

Canadian officials say this is shaping up to be the nation’s worst wildfire season ever. It started early on drier-than-usual ground and accelerated very quickly, exhausting firefighting resources across the country, fire and environmental officials said.

Smoke from the blazes in various parts of the country has been lapping into the U.S. since last month but intensified with a recent spate of fires in Quebec, where about 100 were considered out of control Wednesday.

“The smoke was insane” Tuesday in Montreal, said resident Zachary Kamel, 36. “I had to close my window because the fresh air just smelled like campfire.”

Quebec Premier François Legault said the province currently has the capacity to fight about 40 fires — and the usual reinforcements from other provinces have been strained by conflagrations in Nova Scotia and elsewhere.

Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre spokesperson Jennifer Kamau said more than 950 firefighters and other personnel have already arrived from the U.S., Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and more will be arriving soon.

In Washington, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden has sent more than 600 firefighters and equipment to Canada. His administration has contacted some U.S. governors and local officials about providing assistance, she said.

The largest town in Northern Quebec — Chibougamau, population about 7,500 — was evacuated Tuesday, and Legault said the roughly 4,000 residents of the northern Cree town Mistissini would likely have to leave Wednesday. […]

Across the border, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul warned the public to “prepare for this over the long haul.” New York City Mayor Eric Adams told residents of the United States’ most populous city to limit outdoor activities and parks officials closed beaches as smoke smudged out the skyline.

The Federal Aviation Administration paused some flights bound for LaGuardia Airport and slowed planes to Newark Liberty and Philadelphia because the smoke was limiting visibility. It also contributed to delayed arrivals at Dulles International Airport outside Washington.

The smoke even affected Broadway, where Killing Eve star Jodie Comer had difficulty breathing and left the matinee after 10 minutes; the show restarted with an understudy, show publicists said.

Schools in multiple states canceled sports and other outdoor activities, shifting recess inside. Live horse racing was canceled Wednesday and Thursday at Delaware Park in Wilmington. Organizers of Global Running Day, a virtual 5K, advised participants to adjust their plans according to air quality. [more]

“I can taste the air”: Canadian wildfire smoke spreads hazardous haze at home and in the US