Canadian Wildfire Smoke Has Wrecked NYC’s Air Quality…Again

The Northeast has been hit by another round of wildfire smoke from our neighbor to the North.

As of this morning, New York City has the worst air quality of any major city in the country, and the second worst of any major city worldwide, according to data from IQAir.

The air quality may not look like the movie filter-like fog that we saw over NYC earlier this month, but that doesn’t mean this isn’t bad for the region. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow air quality monitor, New York’s air quality is “unhealthy” this afternoon. The city’s air quality index is currently over 150, healthy aqi levels are under 50.

“The @NYSDEC & @HealthNYGov have issued an #AirQuality Health Advisory for today, June 30, 2023, for all regions across NYS,” the New York State division of the department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services tweeted today. The air quality currently ranges unhealthy for sensitive groups, and unhealthy for the general public throughout most of the state.

Across the Hudson, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, has warned state residents to take precautions before leaving their homes. “Consider moving physical activities indoors or rescheduling them,” the department tweeted. Jersey City’s air quality is also considered unhealthy this morning, according to data from AirNow.

Other cities in the region are seeing a smoke-induced haze today, too. Washington D.C. currently has the fourth worst air quality in a major city worldwide. And Chicago came in fifth today. Just this Tuesday that city had the worst air quality of any major city in the world.

As of June 29 there are about 497 reported fires in Canada, according to government data. 174 of these fires are under control, but 229 of these fires are out of control. It’s likely that regions across the Northern U.S. will see more air quality alerts as Canada experiences its worst wildfire season on record.

Want more climate and environment stories? Check out Earther’s guides to decarbonizing your home, divesting from fossil fuels, packing a disaster go bag, and overcoming climate dread. And don’t miss our coverage of the latest IPCC climate report, the future of carbon dioxide removal, and the un-greenwashed facts on bioplastics and plastic recycling.

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