Apocalyptic haze shrouds New York due to Canada wildfires:
On Wednesday, an unprecedented apocalyptic haze enveloped New York as a result of smoke originating from wildfires in Canada. As cities along the US East Coast issued air quality warnings, numerous individuals in Canada were forced to evacuate their residences.
The Big Apple’s mayor urged residents to stay indoors as the thick haze of pollution cast an eerie, yellowish glow over Manhattan’s famous skyscrapers, delayed flights, and forced the postponement of sporting events.
While there could be showers in New York on Thursday, the smoke will likely linger, said John Cristantello, a National Weather Service meteorologist. “Rain can only do so much,” he said. “The bigger factor is the magnitude of the smoke and the wildfires.”
There are air quality alerts in Quebec and Ontario, including Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa, and in the US, from New York and New England to South Carolina.
The US Northeast, including New York City, will continue to breathe in choking smoke from fires across eastern Canada for the next few days, raising health alarms across impacted areas.
As of Tuesday, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre reported that a staggering number of 423 fires were actively spreading across Canada. These fires have collectively ravaged a total of four million hectares throughout the country, with a grand total of 2,305 fires recorded. Meanwhile, IQAir, a pollution mapping tool, indicates that air quality in New York has reached alarming levels, classified as unhealthy.
Presently, the city’s air quality index fluctuates between 0 and 500, with overnight measurements peaking at 222 and currently hovering around 168.