New York City residents must brace themselves for two more days of dangerous smog looming over the city after smoke from more than 400 Canadian wildfires blanketed the Great Lakes and Northeast.
A thick haze shrouded the Big Apple’s famous skyline and turned the moon red Tuesday night, while the city briefly became the world’s most polluted city as its air quality index rose to over 200, considered “very unhealthy”.
At least 10 New York school districts have canceled all outdoor activities due to the smog, and vulnerable Big Apple residents have been advised to limit outdoor exposure until pollution rates improve.
Cities in the smoke lane remained hidden in the haze through Wednesday as ongoing wildfires in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec have left over 100 million people across North America under some type of air quality warning.
Due to the record wildfires in Canada, New York City was covered by a thick cloud of smoke on Tuesday evening
Manhattanites could barely see the Statue of Liberty across the Hudson River
As the haze of wildfires hangs over the city, residents take part in a morning yoga class at The Edge in Manhattan
A thick plume of smoke from the wildfires first settled over New York on Tuesday before thickening throughout the afternoon, preventing people in Manhattan from seeing the New Jersey skyline across the Hudson River.
In addition to being sent indoors, New Yorkers have also been enacted air quality warnings in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and the Carolinas, according to the National Weather Service.
The smoke is expected to clear by Wednesday morning in some areas including Indiana and Ohio, but the fog will persist for several more days in other regions such as Pennsylvania and Virginia.
At around 10 p.m. on Tuesday, New York briefly set the record for the worst air pollution in the world, overtaking the Indian capital Delhi.
New York currently has the fourth worst air quality in the world, according to IQAir rankings, with airborne particle concentrations (PM2.5) 14.6 times higher than WHO guidelines.
According to AirNow, the Big Apple’s air quality index, a measure used by government agencies worldwide, remains in the “unhealthy” range at over 170.
The city of Detroit, Michigan was also among the top five metropolitan areas for air quality as of Wednesday morning, with smog continuing to plague numerous U.S. cities.
All of New York City is still on an air quality warning as smoke continues to hang over the subway
A woman is seen jogging along the Hudson River as a smoky sunrise looms over Manhattan
Due to the reduced air quality, residents are asked to avoid spending time outdoors
The city briefly topped the list of metropolitan areas with the worst air pollution in the world
Thick smoke hangs over New York City, where the World Trade Center is barely visible from The Edge observation deck in Hudson Yards
Much of the smoke originated from Quebec, where over 400 wildfires are burning, as Canadian officials warn they are in the middle of the worst fire season on record.
Across the country, Canadian officials have classified more than 240 of the fires as “out of control”.
Many of the fires that started the smoke crisis had been burning for weeks but were pushed south in recent days due to a storm system that blew across Nova Scotia.
The weather drove much of the smoke across the east coast and is expected to continue for the next few days.
New York was among several states that issued air quality warnings across the country Tuesday night
Photographers were seen crowding the Hudson River on June 6, 2023 to photograph the Statue of Liberty shrouded in smoke
Over 400 forest fires in Canada have enveloped the city in a hazy smog, preventing many from seeing the famous skyscrapers
An aerial view of Brooklyn and the Manhattan skyline shows how thick the smog has blanketed the region
Unusually dry and warm weather has been blamed for the crisis, and the coming months are expected to see more of the same conditions that have turned Canadian forestry into a powder keg.
In the last month alone, forest fires burned around 6.6 million hectares, which is the size of 5 million soccer fields.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rolled out sweeping air quality warnings on Tuesday as smoke continued to billow from across the northern border.
Over 100 million people are subject to a warning and residents in the North East are said to have air quality as “unhealthy”.
In New York City, the air quality index (pictured) rose above 200 overnight, which is considered “very unhealthy”.
Smoke rises from a large forest fire in Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada, June 3, 2023
Over 400 fires are active across the country, with 240 of the fires classified as “out of control” by Canadian authorities.
Canada is currently experiencing its worst wildfire season in recent memory; more than 6.7 million hectares have burned since the beginning of the year
The remains of a vehicle and home after a wildfire scorched the area in Nova Scotia, Canada on June 6, 2023
In New York City, officials also warned vulnerable people, such as the elderly or those with respiratory problems, to go outside only with a quality mask.
At the source of the wildfires, the impact is understandably worse, as Environment Canada issued its most stringent air quality warning, placing Ottawa on a very high risk alert.
Air quality for residents of Toronto and surrounding areas has also been classified as “high risk”.
Thousands of people have also been evacuated across the country, and fires have also been reported in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia and the Northwest Territories.
Smoke from Canadian wildfires caused dangerous air pollution in the Northeast. Shown is a map showing air quality index readings on Tuesday evening. Purple areas are areas where values were between 201 and 300. Red areas were between 151 and 200
The Staten Island Ferry can be seen through the smoke in front of the Statue of Liberty
The sun rose over New York City on Wednesday morning, where smoke lingered after it poured in the previous day
Iconic Times Square was blanketed in orange haze and smoke
Hazy skies over the Washington DC skyline, one of the many East Coast hubs hit by the smoke
The view of Jersey City, New Jersey from across the Hudson River on June 6, 2023
Air quality warnings have yet to be lifted across the US as air pollution is harmful to health in states like North Dakota, Missouri and Virginia.
Residents of cities with dangerous levels are advised to exercise indoors and wear a quality mask when going outside.
Breathing wildfire smoke and air pollution can be extremely harmful, leading to symptoms such as chest pain and irritation of the eyes, nose and throat.
“On these days of increased air pollution, we will see an increased number of hospital visits,” Matthew Adams, a professor at the University of Toronto and director of its Center of Urban Environments, told the BBC.
“And the people who visit the hospital typically have a pre-existing respiratory condition.”