Wildfire smoke from Canada chokes the eastern United States
An unprecedented plume of smoke blanketed major cities, pushing air quality to hazardous levels across the region.
An enormous plume of smoke from wildfires raging across Canada blanketed the eastern United States this June, turning skies an eerie orange, obscuring skylines and pushing air quality to hazardous levels in a region unaccustomed to such pollution.
Smoke from hundreds of fires burning across Canada during an exceptionally severe wildfire season drifted south on the winds, settling over major cities from the Midwest to the East Coast. Air quality indices soared into the hazardous range, among the worst readings ever recorded in some cities, and the acrid haze was visible and smelled from the ground.
Health officials urged tens of millions of residents to stay indoors, limit outdoor activity and wear high-quality masks, warning of risks to the lungs and heart, particularly for children, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions. Schools cancelled outdoor activities, flights were delayed, and outdoor events were called off.
The episode was a dramatic illustration of how the effects of climate change and distant disasters can reach far beyond their source. A warming climate is lengthening and intensifying wildfire seasons, and the smoke they produce can travel thousands of miles.
For residents of the eastern US, the smoke was an unfamiliar and unsettling hazard, and a warning that wildfire pollution, long associated with the West, could become a recurring feature of life as fire seasons grow more extreme across the continent.