'We're seeing events that are unknown in the historical record,' said Robert Scheller, a professor of forestry at North Carolina State University. Add on top of that the fact that temperatures at higher latitudes are increasing more than at low latitudes and it makes for horrific and historic levels of destruction. Rising temperatures, prolonged droughts and changing rain patterns are making many of North America's forests more prone to fire. US Air Quality Index Why are there so many fires in Canada? Photos from New York City on Wednesday showed the city shrouded in a surreal, glowing orange haze. The smoke is even giving the sky, sun and moon some unusual colors. This was keeping temperatures cooler than average, as the smoke filters out the blazing June sunshine.For example, the weather service in Washington, D.C., said in an online forecast discussion Tuesday that 'temperatures this morning have been running 5-8 degrees cooler than forecast due to the smoke in the atmosphere.' Due to an area of low pressure that's hovering offshore, along with an area of high pressure over Canada, a northerly flow of air was funneling the smoke south into the U.S. The smoky skies have helped reduce temperatures across much of the mid-Atlantic region. View Gallery: Air quality in US impacted by Canada Wildfires Canada wildfire smoke creates eerie glowing sunrises, lower temps in US 'Exposure to elevated levels of fine particles such as wood smoke can increase the likelihood of respiratory symptoms in sensitive individuals and aggravate heart or lung disease.' The system tops out at 500.ĭue to the smoke in the air, 'children and older adults, as well as people with heart or lung disease, should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion,' the weather service in Albany, New York, warned. Pinnacle State Park near Addison, New York, has reached a remarkably bad air quality index of 460. On Wednesday, Syracuse, New York Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and others were showing levels over 340. Marked with maroon-colored dots, these are places where the air was so bad it was considered a 'health warning emergency conditions: everyone is more likely to be affected.'īetween 0 and 50 is considered a healthy level. cities had hit extremely hazardous levels, according to the federal AirNow fire and smoke map. On Wednesday, air quality levels in multiple U.S.

Here's what to know: How is smoke from the Canada fires affecting US air quality? On Monday Canada's minister for emergency preparedness, Bill Blair, said the nation is seeing images of fires that 'are some of the most severe ever witnessed in Canada.' 'Climate change is real and having a huge impact on Canadians right now with forest fires burning across the country,' tweeted Catherine McKenna, Canada's former climate minister. Most of the country is expected to be under high to extreme risk for much of the wildfire season, which stretches from May to September.

While forest fires are a natural part of the ecosystem of Canada's boreal forests, the size, ferocity and number of fires this year is decidedly abnormal. Smoke and unhealthy air quality levels from the conflagration have blanketed multiple Canadian provinces, much of the Great Lakes region and parts of the northeastern United States. On Wednesday there were more than 400 wildfires burning across the country, more than half of them out-of-control.

Cal fire map active fires