Smoke from the wildfires that devastated Alberta, British Columbia and surrounding areas traveled as far as Florida, blanketing the Sunshine State in a thick whitish fog on Tuesday.
Whether in Miami or Fort Lauderdale, Internet users have posted photos showing the reduced visibility in their city, the buildings and landscape disappearing behind the smoke curtain of fires thousands of miles away.
3.10. at 2:45 p.m.: Here’s a look at the hazy conditions in downtown Miami this afternoon, taken by one of our NWS meteorologists in Miami. Smoke from distant Canadian wildfires has caused continued reduced visibility and air quality across South Florida today. https://t.co/c6Pf5C7y6R pic.twitter.com/C73c8bXVRk
– NWS Miami (@NWSMiami) October 3, 2023
“I’ve lived in Florida for almost 20 years and this is the first time I’ve seen a cloud of smoke like this,” said Will Ulrich, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service who was interviewed by NBC News.
Air quality in several areas of Florida has been described as hazardous to health.
According to the weather service, the smoke initially moved towards eastern Canada. However, the passage of Tropical Storm Ophelia, which dumped torrential rain on the US East Coast last week, created weather conditions that allowed the smoke to be drawn south to Florida.
Canada experienced the worst wildfire summer in its history: almost 18 million hectares were devastated by just over 6,500 fires. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, nearly 800 fires were still active as of Tuesday.