Smoke from hundreds of wildfires in the West and Canada is being transported thousands of miles through the Plains, Midwest, and up to the Northeast.
Smoke, at best leads to hazy skies in large swaths across the country and, at worse, deteriorates air quality.
On Thursday morning there was a noticeable drop in air pollution into the moderate ranges across the Plains, Midwest, and inland Northwest. The worst air quality occurred in eastern Oregon and the inland Northwest, where several “mega-fires”, or fires that have burned over 100,000 acres, were burning.
On Thursday, a smoky fog washed out the skies in the area around New York City. This is more than 2,000 miles away from the fires.
Smoke will continue reducing air quality in the central states over the next few days. On Friday, smoke from Canada will push southwards across the East. This will make it more visible than Thursday’s haze, as there will be fewer clouds.
Smoke will continue to blow eastwards in the days and weeks ahead, as the fires across the West show no sign of slowing down.
Almost 90 fires have burned at least 100 acres in the West. Nearly 22,000 firefighters are battling these blazes.
