(Trends Wide) — More than 80 million people from the Midwest to the US East Coast are under air quality alerts as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifts across the US border on Tuesday, prompting the shutdown of beaches, warnings about reduced visibility and calls to stay indoors.
Canada is experiencing its worst fire season on record with hundreds of wildfires across the country, more than 200 of them burning “out of control,” according to Canada’s Inter-Agency Wildfire Center. Forest fires have generated the highest emissions recorded in the country, according to a report published Tuesday by Copernicus, a division of the European Union’s space program.
As the smoke enters the United States, air quality alerts have been issued for all states of Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Delaware, and Maryland, as well as parts of Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Virginia, according to the US National Weather Service. Residents are encouraged to stay indoors with the air conditioning on or, in some areas, wear N95 masks if they have to be outdoors.
Chicago and Detroit for hours had the worst air quality in the world Tuesday night, with Detroit’s air at one point reaching a “very unhealthy” air quality index of 205, according to IQAir. Chicago recorded an air quality index of 174 Tuesday night.
City skylines could be seen shrouded in smoke on Tuesday, with a white haze lingering over roads and neighborhoods.
“I can feel like a burning in my throat,” Dalya Khuder, who was visiting Detroit, told Trends Wide affiliate WXYZ. “The air quality is really bad and I don’t want that in my lungs.”
The City of Chicago urges all residents, especially those with heart or lung disease, older adults, pregnant people and young children, to avoid outdoor activities and protect themselves from exposure. Chicago Public Schools and camps are also moving activities indoors, city officials said in a news release.
About 18 kilometers away, Evanston, Illinois, will close all beaches to swimming and canceled a concert Tuesday due to poor air quality, the city said on Facebook, asking residents to limit outdoor exposure until this week. Wednesday.
Smoke from the Canadian wildfires creates haze in Chicago, Illinois, on June 27, 2023. (Credit: Jamie Keleter/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
Across the state line in Michigan, the Mackinac Bridge was covered in smoke on Tuesday. Drivers were asked to drive slowly and with caution due to reduced visibility on the bridge.
High levels of fine particles in the air in Michigan could make it unhealthy or dangerous for all residents in some spots, not just sensitive groups, the state Department of Health has warned.
“The most protective option when the air is unhealthy for you is to stay indoors with air conditioning, reduce strenuous activities, and limit outdoor activities. If you have to be outside, N95 masks offer enhanced protection when used according to product instructions,” the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said.
Wildfire smoke carries particulate matter, or PM2.5, a tiny but dangerous pollutant that, when inhaled, can penetrate deep into lung tissue and enter the bloodstream, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. . This particle has been linked to a number of health problems, including asthma, heart disease, and other respiratory diseases.
US cities under air quality alerts are mostly in “Code Orange,” with the air considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, or “Code Red,” which is when the air is believed to be unhealthy for the public in general.
The Mackinac Bridge, which connects Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas, is covered in smoke from the Canadian fires. (Credit: The Mackinac Bridge Authority)
New York could see smoke-clouded skies again
New York is also expected to see harmful levels of smoke this Wednesday and Thursday in some areas, about three weeks after New York City topped the list for worst air pollution as smoke from Canadian wildfires rose. to the south, turning the skies orange.
“New Yorkers should be prepared for elevated levels of fine particle pollution caused by smoke this Wednesday and Thursday,” Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement. “Current projections show that the highest concentrations of smoke will slowly move east across the eastern half of New York State on Thursday, spreading across much of the state.”
In addition, the New York City Department of Health warned of deteriorating air quality.
As for this Wednesday, they say that “they currently project the air quality index (AQI) to be in the moderate range (between 51-100)” however they warn that “wind patterns can change rapidly without notice.”
In a statement they point out that children, the elderly and people with respiratory problems should take precautions if levels reach between 101 and 150.
“When the AQI goes above 150, ALL New Yorkers should start taking precautions,” they say, including limiting time outdoors, taking a mask to be prepared among other precautions.
In Ohio, meanwhile, a spokesman for the Cleveland mayor’s office said “what happened in NY a few weeks ago and today in Chicago could happen here in Cleveland tomorrow.”
The Northeast Ohio Area Coordinating Agency issued an air quality advisory, forecasting levels of fine particles in the “Unhealthy” Air Quality Index range.
Indianapolis drivers were also warned about reduced visibility, with the National Weather Service saying to “be prepared for haze that could suddenly reduce visibility” in some areas Tuesday and Wednesday.
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(Trends Wide) — More than 80 million people from the Midwest to the US East Coast are under air quality alerts as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifts across the US border on Tuesday, prompting the shutdown of beaches, warnings about reduced visibility and calls to stay indoors.
Canada is experiencing its worst fire season on record with hundreds of wildfires across the country, more than 200 of them burning “out of control,” according to Canada’s Inter-Agency Wildfire Center. Forest fires have generated the highest emissions recorded in the country, according to a report published Tuesday by Copernicus, a division of the European Union’s space program.
As the smoke enters the United States, air quality alerts have been issued for all states of Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Delaware, and Maryland, as well as parts of Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Virginia, according to the US National Weather Service. Residents are encouraged to stay indoors with the air conditioning on or, in some areas, wear N95 masks if they have to be outdoors.
Chicago and Detroit for hours had the worst air quality in the world Tuesday night, with Detroit’s air at one point reaching a “very unhealthy” air quality index of 205, according to IQAir. Chicago recorded an air quality index of 174 Tuesday night.
City skylines could be seen shrouded in smoke on Tuesday, with a white haze lingering over roads and neighborhoods.
“I can feel like a burning in my throat,” Dalya Khuder, who was visiting Detroit, told Trends Wide affiliate WXYZ. “The air quality is really bad and I don’t want that in my lungs.”
The City of Chicago urges all residents, especially those with heart or lung disease, older adults, pregnant people and young children, to avoid outdoor activities and protect themselves from exposure. Chicago Public Schools and camps are also moving activities indoors, city officials said in a news release.
About 18 kilometers away, Evanston, Illinois, will close all beaches to swimming and canceled a concert Tuesday due to poor air quality, the city said on Facebook, asking residents to limit outdoor exposure until this week. Wednesday.
Smoke from the Canadian wildfires creates haze in Chicago, Illinois, on June 27, 2023. (Credit: Jamie Keleter/Bloomberg/Getty Images)
Across the state line in Michigan, the Mackinac Bridge was covered in smoke on Tuesday. Drivers were asked to drive slowly and with caution due to reduced visibility on the bridge.
High levels of fine particles in the air in Michigan could make it unhealthy or dangerous for all residents in some spots, not just sensitive groups, the state Department of Health has warned.
“The most protective option when the air is unhealthy for you is to stay indoors with air conditioning, reduce strenuous activities, and limit outdoor activities. If you have to be outside, N95 masks offer enhanced protection when used according to product instructions,” the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said.
Wildfire smoke carries particulate matter, or PM2.5, a tiny but dangerous pollutant that, when inhaled, can penetrate deep into lung tissue and enter the bloodstream, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. . This particle has been linked to a number of health problems, including asthma, heart disease, and other respiratory diseases.
US cities under air quality alerts are mostly in “Code Orange,” with the air considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, or “Code Red,” which is when the air is believed to be unhealthy for the public in general.
The Mackinac Bridge, which connects Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas, is covered in smoke from the Canadian fires. (Credit: The Mackinac Bridge Authority)
New York could see smoke-clouded skies again
New York is also expected to see harmful levels of smoke this Wednesday and Thursday in some areas, about three weeks after New York City topped the list for worst air pollution as smoke from Canadian wildfires rose. to the south, turning the skies orange.
“New Yorkers should be prepared for elevated levels of fine particle pollution caused by smoke this Wednesday and Thursday,” Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement. “Current projections show that the highest concentrations of smoke will slowly move east across the eastern half of New York State on Thursday, spreading across much of the state.”
In addition, the New York City Department of Health warned of deteriorating air quality.
As for this Wednesday, they say that “they currently project the air quality index (AQI) to be in the moderate range (between 51-100)” however they warn that “wind patterns can change rapidly without notice.”
In a statement they point out that children, the elderly and people with respiratory problems should take precautions if levels reach between 101 and 150.
“When the AQI goes above 150, ALL New Yorkers should start taking precautions,” they say, including limiting time outdoors, taking a mask to be prepared among other precautions.
In Ohio, meanwhile, a spokesman for the Cleveland mayor’s office said “what happened in NY a few weeks ago and today in Chicago could happen here in Cleveland tomorrow.”
The Northeast Ohio Area Coordinating Agency issued an air quality advisory, forecasting levels of fine particles in the “Unhealthy” Air Quality Index range.
Indianapolis drivers were also warned about reduced visibility, with the National Weather Service saying to “be prepared for haze that could suddenly reduce visibility” in some areas Tuesday and Wednesday.
