A cloud of wildfire smoke from ongoing fires on the Canadian prairies is moving southeast, already affecting the Dakotas, spreading across the Midwest and Ohio Valley, and is forecast to reach the Mid-Atlantic region and Northeast later today.
The National Weather Service has issued air quality advisories for the Northeast, including the New York metropolitan area, due to elevated particulate matter levels associated with the smoke plume.
The Air Quality Index has six ratings that measure air pollution:
- Good (green): 0 to 50
- Moderate (yellow): 51 to 100
- Unhealthy for sensitive groups (orange): 101 to 150
- Unhealthy (red): 151 to 200
- Very unhealthy (purple): 201 to 300
- Dangerous (maroon): 301 and above
The NWS warned that vulnerable groups in New Jersey, New York, many surrounding suburbs and southern Connecticut should stay indoors for most of the day as smoke blankets the area within hours.
Earlier this week, wildfires raging in Alberta, Canada – the country’s energy hub – forced about 7% of the country’s electricity generation to be shut off the grid.
The Canadian government has come under sharp criticism in recent years for not investing more in forest management strategies.
Even the local media has acknowledged this…
Canada should be held responsible for the smoke-related disruptions it is causing across the United States.
