From NYPost.com
New York City’s air was more polluted than any other major world city Wednesday as thick smoke from wildfires burning hundreds of miles away in Canada was set to continue to choke much of the Northeast through the weekend.
An ominous orange haze crept over the city for a second day as all five boroughs were placed under an Air Quality Health Advisory until Thursday morning due to wind patterns pushing smoke south from over 150 forest fires in Quebec — 110 of which have been deemed out of control.
“Unhealthy” air and smoky conditions are expected to linger over the five boroughs until Sunday, as Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday urged New Yorkers with heart or breathing issues to “limit … outdoor activities to the absolute necessities.”
By Wednesday afternoon as a dim orange haze settled over the boroughs, the city had far surpassed the pollution levels of New Delhi, India and its air quality was described as “hazardous,” according to the website IQair, which tracks pollution levels.
The air quality index reached an amazing 342 Wednesday afternoon, far worse than than New Delhi’s 190, and the normal index of 100 for a New York.
New York City’s air was more polluted than most of the world’s major cities as thick smoke from Canadian wildfires burning hundreds of miles away is set to continue through the weekend. Twitter/EarthCam
People brave the smoke while attending a morning yoga class on The Edge observation deck overlooking Manhattan.JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
A satellite view shows Canadian wildfire smoke in New York and Pennsylvania at 10 a.m. ET June 7, 2023.NOAA
The air was the worst since the 1980s, including after the 9/11 attacks, forecasters said.
“We’ll be in this same kind of weather pattern through today, and tomorrow as well,” Fox Weather meteorologist Stephen McCloud told The Post. “By Sunday night we should start to see improvement as a new storm system from the west approaches and starts to move this storm system out.”
“Once that storm system from the west starts to come in, it’s going to change the wind direction. Once the wind direction changes, the smoke will not be able to come down into parts of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic,” he added.
New York City’s air quality index — which measures pollution from 0 to 500, with higher numbers being worse — improved incrementally Wednesday morning, dropping from 164 to 158 within a few hours, according to IQair.
Smoky conditions stemming from wildfires in eastern Canada are expected to persist through Sunday.Corbis News via Getty Images
The haze covers Manhattan.JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Everything you need to know about NYC being shrouded in wildfire smoke
New York City’s air has been heavily polluted by thick smoke from Canadian wildfires burning hundreds of miles away.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams warned residents to stay inside to avoid exposure.
The haze wafting in from Quebec have posed a threat “even to healthy adults.”
- NYC air quality live updates: Air quality in NYC worst since 1980s — worse than after 9/11, forecaster warns
- NYC air pollution is the world’s worst as smoke from Canadian wildfires set to linger
- Even healthy adults are at risk from the Canadian wildfire smoke: experts
- Mayor Adams warns about ‘dangerous’ haze from wildfires, urges NYers to stay inside
New York’s air quality has become some of the worst in the world as the ominous orange smog from wildfires near Quebec, British Columbia and Nova Scotia continue to settle over the region, according to IQair.
The air quality is expected to remain hazardous through the weekend.
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The air quality in New York City has been deemed “unhealthy” as of Wednesday morning. FOX Weather
“Once that storm system from the west starts to come in, it’s going to change the wind direction. Once the wind direction changes, the smoke will not be able to come down into parts of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic,” he added.
New York City’s air quality index — which measures pollution from 0 to 500, with higher numbers being worse — initially improved incrementally Wednesday morning, dropping from 164 to 158 within a few hours, before getting worse when a new wave of smoke hit the city in the afternoon, according to IQair.
Smoky conditions stemming from wildfires in eastern Canada are expected to persist through Sunday.Corbis News via Getty Images
The sky glows amber around the One World Trade Center.AP
New York City ranked No. 3 on a list of the world’s worst air pollution Wednesday morning.AP
A satellite view shows the US at 10 a.m. ET June 7, 2023.
It was on par with Toronto, Canada, which also suffered from a haze of southern-drifting wildfire smoke.
But factors such as wind speed and direction could cause the smog to thicken in the Big Apple later in the day, officials warned.
“While conditions are anticipated to temporarily improve later tonight through tomorrow morning, they are expected to deteriorate further tomorrow afternoon and evening,” Adams said in a Tuesday evening statement.
The view from the Top of the Rock NYC Observation Deck at Rockefeller Center.AFP via Getty Images
Mayor Eric Adams urged New Yorkers with heart or breathing issues to “limit your outdoor activities to the absolute necessities.”
An air quality alert was issued for the whole of New York City as a result of the smoke.Paul Martinka
At 10 p.m. Tuesday, air quality in parts of the Big Apple had reached a “very unhealthy” level, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s index, and the air quality in the five boroughs was the poorest of any major city in the world, according to IQ Air.
Even as New York City sits under a dystopian fog, the worst of the situation is being reported in Pennsylvania and Delaware, according to McCloud.
“The upper-level winds are bringing smoke into the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states. That’s why we’re seeing so much smoke. While the fires are occurring in Quebec and Ontario, that smoke is all just coming straight down,” McCloud said.
The most recent fires near Quebec have been burning for several days, the most intense of which has caused the province’s largest town to issue an evacuation order.
The blazes have been exacerbated by “extremely dry” conditions and warm temperatures.
Additionally, smoke and haze from fires as far as British Columbia and Nova Scotia have moved downstream into the city since late May, though the recent influx of smoke from Quebec was far more severe than in previous weeks.
Fires in Canada have charred a combined area that is larger than Maryland and displaced tens of thousands of people, officials said.
The Canadian capital of Ottawa, which neighbors Quebec, had an air quality in category 10+ on Tuesday, the worst level on Environment Canada’s Air Quality Health Index, indicating “very high risk.”
Smoke has been moving downstream for weeks, though it only recently became noticeable. FOX Weather
Hundreds of fires across Canada have sent smoke south into much of the US. Corbis News via Getty Images
New Yorkers have been encouraged to limit their time outdoors. REUTERS
Brethren, I’ve never seen anything like these pictures.
