Smoke from wildfires in Canada is affecting air quality in parts of the U.S. Northeast, environmental officials said, and maps and satellite images are showing the large-scale impact of the blazes. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Wednesday one its satellites showed some of the smoke being "swept up" by a swirling system, adding that "numerous" air quality alerts were in effect across eastern and central parts of the U.S.

An air quality health advisory was in effect Wednesday for much of New York, according to the state's Department of Environmental Conservation. The advisory showed air quality was "unhealthy" for the New York City metropolitan area, Eastern Lake Ontario and Central New York. It said air quality was "unhealthy for sensitive groups" in Long Island, the Lower Hudson Valley, Upper Hudson Valley and Western New York. Air quality in the Adirondacks was "moderate," according to the advisory.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams said New Yorkers should limit outdoor activity Wednesday while noting that children, older adults and those with heart or breathing problems may be "especially sensitive and should avoid outdoor activities during this time." "This is an unprecedented event in our city, and New Yorkers must take precautions," he said.

Hundreds of American firefighters have recently arrived in Canada to help battle wildfires — and more are on the way. In a tweet Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he spoke with U.S. President Joe Biden about this “critical support” and thanked him for all the help Americans are providing Canada as the country continues to fight “these devastating wildfires.”

The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre said there were 362 fires actively burning throughout Canada as of Wednesday evening, and more than half of them were burning out of control. In Quebec alone, there were 140 active forest fires. “We’re seeing more and more of these fires because of climate change. These fires are affecting everyday routines, lives and livelihoods, and our air quality,” Trudeau said.

wooglin wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 10:32 am Another map. I found this one to be better.

https://firesmoke.ca/forecasts/current/

Junk science': Former tobacco lobbyist claims wildfire smoke poses no health risk

A former tobacco lobbyist-turned-Fox News contributor bucked health experts by claiming on air that smoke billowing over the Northeast from Canadian wildfires will do people no harm.

Speaking on The Ingraham Angle Wednesday, Steve Milloy said that the warning about the smoked-filled air was "junk science."

"We have this kind of air in India and China all the time. No public health emergency," he said.

Canadian wildfires have sent clouds of smoke that have drifted over to New York City, blanketing the city in an orange haze and causing its air quality to be ranked in the world. Health officials in that city told residents to stay indoors.

"This (New York City's smoke-filled air) is like clean air in China. It's really that in the winter they never turn on their scrubbers for the air pollution because they don't care," he said.

"This doesn't kill anybody. This doesn't make anybody cough. This is not a health event. This has got nothing to do with climate...this is wildfire smoke. This is natural. This is not because of climate change, fossil fuel [or] internal combustion engines," he added.

featureless wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 10:37 am Yup, you all have a lot of sympathy from California. It's awful feeling trapped inside and the orange light gets to ya. It will pass.

sig230 wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 3:55 pm How many members remember SMOG alerts?

highdesert wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 8:21 am I remember SMOG Alerts growing up in the Bay Area, but the number of days we had them were minor compared to LA County. The current LA County smog is nothing like it was in the 1950s and 1960s, but it's still there hanging over LA or during the winter it blows inland. Looking west from the San Bernardino Mountains the LA smog just hangs over areas of Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

sig230 wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 9:09 am

highdesert wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 8:21 am I remember SMOG Alerts growing up in the Bay Area, but the number of days we had them were minor compared to LA County. The current LA County smog is nothing like it was in the 1950s and 1960s, but it's still there hanging over LA or during the winter it blows inland. Looking west from the San Bernardino Mountains the LA smog just hangs over areas of Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Living and working in LA in the 1960s one of the first things checked every morning was whether or not the San Bernardino Mountains were still there.


It was always a surprise when the answer was "Yes!" and happened most often during Santa Anas.

highdesert wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 10:18 am

sig230 wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 9:09 am

highdesert wrote: Fri Jun 09, 2023 8:21 am I remember SMOG Alerts growing up in the Bay Area, but the number of days we had them were minor compared to LA County. The current LA County smog is nothing like it was in the 1950s and 1960s, but it's still there hanging over LA or during the winter it blows inland. Looking west from the San Bernardino Mountains the LA smog just hangs over areas of Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Living and working in LA in the 1960s one of the first things checked every morning was whether or not the San Bernardino Mountains were still there.


It was always a surprise when the answer was "Yes!" and happened most often during Santa Anas.

The Santa Ana Winds barrel down through the Cajon Pass along I-15 and into the LA Basin, they blow from east to west. The "devil winds" are revenge from the inland counties that normally get LA's air shit (smog).

That's a great visual test to gage air pollution, if you can see the San Bernardino Mts from LA.

Some 435 wildfires were burning across Canada overnight as smoke from the blazes lingered in New York City and other parts of the U.S. The fires forced officials in British Columbia to order fresh evacuations over the weekend and evacuation orders remained in place for thousands of people in Alberta and Quebec. The air quality index reached 110 in New York on Sunday afternoon and levels remained unhealthy for sensitive groups overnight, according to monitoring groups.

While the smoke in the U.S. didn't reach the dangerously hazardous levels of last week, the federal agency Natural Resources Canada forecasts above-normal fire activity across most of the country through September as the unprecedented spring season continues. Quebec Minister of Public Security Francois Bonnardel said Saturday morning the situation in central and northwestern areas remained challenging, but firefighters had made progress against fires in the province's northeast, per AFP.

"This is a first in the history of Quebec to fight so many fires, to evacuate so many people," Bonnardel added of the orders affecting some 14,000 people. "We are going to have a fight that we think will last all summer ... we haven't yet won the battle." That means smoke is likely to continue to impact the northern tier of the U.S. over the next several months as Canada deals with its wildfire crisis. It can be hazardous to people's health even hundreds of miles away from a fire as it carries harmful microscopic particles that can cause inflammation in the lungs.