New York City and much of the Northeast were breathing “unhealthy” air Tuesday as the region was blanketed in smoke from Canadian wildfires.
As a red sun rose over the boroughs and covered the city in an orange haze, officials advised New Yorkers to limit strenuous outdoor activity and urged groups who have trouble breathing to stay indoors.
The smoky conditions were expected to become worse as Tuesday afternoon went on and to continue Wednesday as wind patterns blew smoke from wildfires in Quebec downstream.
By 10 p.m. Tuesday, air quality in parts of the Big Apple reached a “very unhealthy” level, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s index.
All five boroughs were placed under an Air Quality Health Advisory until Wednesday night.
The city also canceled all outdoor activities at public schools for Wednesday as the air quality is expected to worsen throughout the day.
“While conditions are anticipated to temporarily improve later tonight through tomorrow morning, they are expected to deteriorate further tomorrow afternoon and evening,” Mayor Eric Adams said in a Tuesday night statement.
A woman jogs with a dog along the Hudson River shortly after sunrise, on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. Smoke continues to cover NYC. REUTERS
The sun is shrouded as it rises in a hazy, smoky sky behind the Empire State Building. Getty Images“We have a low-pressure system off the coast that’s pulling in the smoke down across our area, so that’s why we see the smoke coming in,” Fox Weather meteorologist Samantha Thomas explained.
Everything you need to know about the NYC wildfire smoke
New York City’s air has been heavily polluted by thick smoke from Canadian wildfires burning hundreds of miles away.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams warned residents to stay inside to avoid exposure.
The haze wafting in from Quebec poses a threat “even to healthy adults.”
- NYC air quality live updates: Air quality in NYC worst since 1980s — worse than after 9/11, forecaster warns
- NYC air pollution is the world’s worst as smoke from Canadian wildfires set to linger
- Even healthy adults are at risk from the Canadian wildfire smoke: experts
- Mayor Adams warns about ‘dangerous’ haze from wildfires, urges NYers to stay inside
New York’s air quality has become some of the worst in the world as the ominous orange smog from wildfires near Quebec, British Columbia and Nova Scotia continues to settle over the region, according to IQair.
The air quality is expected to remain hazardous through the weekend.
READ MORE
More than 400 wildfires were blazing across Canada on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
The Statue of Liberty is covered in haze and smoke. REUTERS
Smoke filled skies above Yankee Stadium during the Chicago White Sox vs. New York Yankees game. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
New York City and much of the Northeast were breathing “unhealthy” air Tuesday. Alex Mead/NY Post
The smoke casts an eerie gloom over Times Square. REUTERS
The smoky conditions were expected to become worse as Tuesday afternoon went on and to continue Wednesday as wind patterns blew smoke from wildfires in Quebec downstream. AFP via Getty Images
Smoke from Canadian wildfires obscures the Manhattan skyline during the evening commute. Chad Rachman/NY PostThe blazes were being exacerbated by “extremely dry” conditions and warm temperatures, and smoke and haze from fires as far away as British Columbia and Nova Scotia had been blown into the city in recent weeks.
Fires in the country had charred a combined area that is larger than Maryland and displaced tens of thousands of people, officials said.
“Unfortunately, much of Canada is burning,” Thomas said. “This is definitely the worst we’ve had come in.”
The sky over Brooklyn and Manhattan. A code red warning was in effect in parts of upstate New York near Canada, meaning even people without health conditions are in danger from the smoke. JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
The Empire State Building is obscured by smoke from Canadian wildfires. ZUMAPRESS.com
Smoke rises from a wildfire in the Donnie Creek Complex south of Fort Nelson, British Columbia. Canada is on fire from coast to coast with more than 400 active fires, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. via REUTERS
An aerial view of the wildfires in Shelburne County, Nova Scotia, Canada. VIA REUTERS
Fires in Canada had charred a combined area that is larger than Maryland and displaced tens of thousands of people, officials said.
A code red warning was in effect in parts of upstate New York near Canada, meaning even people without health conditions are in danger from the smoke.
Thomas advised New Yorkers to “limit your time outside” and said advisory warnings could continue Wednesday, when the city was expected to see another push of thicker smoke in the late morning and into the afternoon.
Visibility in the boroughs was down to four miles Tuesday, less than half the city’s average, forecasters said.
The hazy situation had not affected air traffic at the city’s three major airports, according to the Federal Aviation Administration and Port Authority’s websites.
People walk along a pier in Transmitter Park, Brooklyn. Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
The World Trade Center is seen surrounded by smoke in Lower Manhattan. Alex Mead/NY Post
A man sits along the East River shrouded in smoke in Brooklyn on June 6, 2023. AFP via Getty Images