When will Canadian wildfire smoke over Northeast lift? Experts say smog may ... trends now
Millions in America's East Coast metros have been buckled by out-of-control Canadian wildfires, with the destructive smoke lingering over major US cities for a second consecutive day.
Residents in key cities including New York, Washington DC and Philadelphia woke up to find their iconic skylines again shrouded in an ominous yellow mist, leaving many to wonder how long the smog is set to remain.
Through Thursday, flights were periodically delayed out of LaGuardia, Philadelphia and Newark Airports as the FAA scrambles to deal with the ongoing travel chaos.
And with 75 million Americans currently under some level of air quality warning, winds are forecast to push much of the headline-grabbing yellow hue seen over New York City on Wednesday down to the Mid-Atlantic states.
Meteorologists are forecasting that the smoke, which has touched at least 16 states, could be set to last into the weekend in some places.
A man talks on his phone as he looks through the haze at the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, N.J., Wednesday, June 7, 2023
A map of the impact the wildfire smoke has had upon air quality levels across the East Coast. Purple sections are deemed 'hazardous', red is 'unhealthy', orange is 'unhealthy for sensitive groups', and yellow is 'moderate'
The source of the smoke is a fleet of over 400 active wildfires over the Canadian border, where many of the blazes have been burning for several weeks.
A weather front blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean over Nova Scotia then sent the hazardous plumes south, where they quickly smothered many major East Coast hubs.
And a further southern push is set to see the smoke hit several Mid-Atlantic states, with the fog forecast to now cover Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Washington.
The level of air quality is expected to improve for many over the coming days, however officials warned that it is variable and can be affected by factors including wind direction and the strength of the wildfires.
Bryan Ramsey, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, cautioned people to anticipate the smog 'hanging around at least for the next few days.'
Since the fires are raging, they’re really large, they’re probably going to
