“Everyone Should Avoid Outdoors”: 100 Million Americans Under Air Quality Alerts As Canadian Wildfire Smoke Blankets East Coast

Nearly 100 million people across 18 states, from New Hampshire to South Carolina, are under air quality alerts Wednesday morning, according to NBC News. A low-pressure system stuck off Nova Scotia is sending smoke from Canadian wildfires into the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast. 

According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fires Centre, more than 400 wildfires are burning in Canada. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s radar-based analysis shows smoke from the wildfires pouring in from eastern Ontario and into the US. 

On Tuesday night, New York City had the worst air pollution of any major city in the world, according to the IQAir website. Many other major US cities were blanketed in haze with air quality levels deemed “unhealthy.” 

“EVERYONE should avoid the outdoors,” one meteorologist tweeted. 

NEW YORK CITY: Prepare for air qualities WORSE than yesterday.

Likely in the code red to code purple category.

A wall of dense wildfire smoke will arrive by noon.

— Visibilities below 3 miles
— You’ll taste the smoke
— Your eyes will sting

EVERYONE should avoid the outdoors. pic.twitter.com/JrEce3vLFV

— Matthew Cappucci (@MatthewCappucci) June 7, 2023

This morning, residents along the East Coast woke up to the following:

The Statue of Liberty in New York City is covered in haze and smoke caused by wildfires in Canada https://t.co/gni41b3v0i 📷 Amr Alfiky pic.twitter.com/Uj9kdKENTT

— Reuters Pictures (@reuterspictures) June 7, 2023

New York City. Looking south down the East River, past the tip of Roosevelt Island.
Sky above a section of the 59th St Bridge, filled with Canadian wildlife smoke.
All from the hospital waiting area. Hope to be home soon. pic.twitter.com/uzIRvVkswn

— Alan Cialino (@AlCialino) June 7, 2023

930 am 6/7/2023 smoke haze in DC over Memorial Bridge #CanadaWildfires pic.twitter.com/oDDOukkP4r

— KayAnn Schoeneman (@KSchoeneman) June 7, 2023

Flying through the smoke out of Baltimore this morning omg pic.twitter.com/bBKnhD3YqS

— big honkin caboose (@itsmegangraves) June 7, 2023

Haze and the smell of smoke continue in Baltimore this morning as Canada wildfires smoke blows east pic.twitter.com/OT8bOmxCOr

— Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) June 7, 2023

Richard Bann, a forecaster at the US Weather Prediction Center, told Bloomberg:

“Relief is not coming anytime soon.

“For the time being the Northeast US is in a position where it going to continue to ebb and flow with the thickness and intensity of the smoke.”

Meanwhile, NBC News is pushing masks: “If you need to spend time outside in smoke, a mask can help.”

Perhaps El Nino is to blame.