- Raging wildfires across Canada descended on American states last week
- Pictures showed an orange glow and smog covering iconic NYC landmarks
- Meteorologists predict a second sweep of smog could return to East Coast
The East Coast is bracing for a second sweep of smoke and bad air quality from the Canadian wildfires which could see a code orange weather warning issued into Friday.
Canada’s severe bout of fires, thought to have been triggered at least in part by a bout of lightning, igniting the fires across predominantly southeastern Quebec, resulted in a haze over the East Coast which has since drifted to other parts of the US.
New York City and Philadelphia were among the hardest hit locations – as a thick orange smog blanketed iconic landmarks including the Statue of Liberty and left the Northeast battling with some of the worst air quality levels in decades.
As the smoke this week gradually began to blow away from the East Coast, the Twin Cities was the latest pocket of the US to become engulfed in the smog.
Yesterday, Minneapolis and St. Paul recorded Air Quality Index readings above 250- a figure the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency describes as ‘very unhealthy’ for most people.
As the smoke spread across parts of the Upper Midwest last night, Fox 5 now reports that those on the East Coast could see a return of the orange glow today.
The conditions are not expected to be as bad as last week but meteorologist Mike Thomas predicts that there could be a code orange weather warning later today into Friday.
It’s also understood storms on Friday could be more ‘charged’ as a result of the extra particles in the atmosphere which could trigger more lightning.
An unusually dry winter with abnormally low levels of snow has played a major role in sparking an extremely early start to Canada’s wildfire season, causing toxic smoke over America.
St. Paul had the worst air quality in the United States on Wednesday as smoke drifted across Minnesota a week after similar smoke blanketed the northeastern U.S. AirNow, a U.S government data source, described Minneapolis as ‘unhealthy’, while currently, the East Coast has minimal air quality warnings.
AirNow does predict, however, that most of the East Coast will be impacted today and have ‘moderate’ air quality.
The smoke was ‘near the worst’ on record for the Twin Cities, the Star-Tribune reported, citing Nick Witcraft, an air-quality meteorologist with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
Air quality hit ‘red’ on the U.S. government’s color-coded index, meaning it was unhealthy for everyone. The air was particularly dangerous for children, older people and those with asthma and conditions like diabetes and heart disease.
Karen Berg-Moberg decided to go on a bike ride at Como Lake in St. Paul with a friend despite the air. She was ready to cut their trip short if needed but didn’t think the smoke would slow them down.
‘I can smell it. It’s kind of nasty,’ she said. ‘We debated it, but thought, `What the heck?’ ‘
St. Paul had an air quality index, or AQI, reading of 256 at 6 p.m. Wednesday, according to AirNow.gov, a website published by U.S. government agencies. The index runs from zero to 500. The higher the number, the worse the air quality.
In July 2021, the index reached 182 in the Twin Cities, also after wildfire smoke drifted down from Canada.
Minneapolis public parks officials canceled events for music and movies in the park and outdoor activities on Wednesday. St. Paul canceled all youth and adult athletics.
Last week, massive fires burning up stretches of Canadian forests blanketed the northeastern United States, turning the air a yellowish gray and prompting warnings for people to stay inside and keep windows closed.
The small particles in wildfire smoke can irritate the eyes, nose and throat, and can affect the heart and lungs, making it harder to breathe. Health officials say it’s important to limit outdoor activities as much as possible to avoid breathing in these particles.
As of today, there are 455 active fires across Canada – of which 229 are deemed as out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
It is estimated that around 5.4 million hectares (48,000 square kilometers) – an area larger than the Netherlands in western Europe – has already burnt.