*** 06/06/2023 *** As it looks like these fires are going to burn for a while, this story will be updated as needed.
*** 06/09/2023 *** Content updated
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‘I can taste the air’: Canadian wildfire smoke spreads hazardous haze at home and in U.S.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The source of heavy smoke blanketing the Northeastern United States is due to some of the worst forest fires that Canada has ever experienced, and experts say that climate change may make this a more regular occurrence.
Canadian wildfires
As of late morning Wednesday, the air quality index (AGI) in Syracuse has gotten so bad it was hazardous. The AQI hit a high for the week over 400, launching the salt city into the highest and most unhealthy level and the smokiest city in the northeastern United States.
On Wednesday morning, the Environmental Protection Agency is reporting that air quality in upstate New York, in cities such as Rochester and Syracuse, is “very unhealthy” and in some cases “hazardous.”
t is warning the nearly 150,000 people living in the city of Syracuse to “avoid all outdoor physical activity” until conditions improve.
The EPA is also reporting “very unhealthy” air quality in parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland on the perimeter of the Washington, D.C., area.
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All of this is to blame on wildfires raging in the province of Quebec in Canada due to parched conditions. Winds carry the smoke straight across international borders, ending up here and to points south. One can only hope and pray for rain to tap down the flames or at least a wind shift to limit this conveyor train of pollutants.
Wildfire map
CANADA WARNS OF RECORD 2023 WILDFIRE DESTRUCTION AS TRAVELING SMOKE IMPACTS MILLIONS OF AMERICANS
In Quebec, more than 100 fires were burning uncontrollably Tuesday.
One of the biggest concerns from the fires is the air quality.
“Over the last 20 years, we have never seen such a large area burned so early in the season,” said Natural Resources Canada researcher Yan Boulanger.
Quebec is currently the hardest-hit province in Canada following a series of wildfires sparked by lightning strikes, according to Norton.
Read more Wildfires
New York City is experiencing its worst air quality in recorded history, per FOX Weather’s analysis of EPA historical data, affecting millions of people.
NYC – Smoke
