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Smoke, heat, and scale
Massive plumes of Canadian wildfire smoke are set to pour over the border into the United States, bringing dangerous air quality to more than 100 million people in the Midwest and Northeast.
“Support WBUR The sky may look a bit more orange, milky, or hazy over the next couple of days, as a plume of wildfire smoke is traveling hundreds of miles directly into the Northeast”
CNN says the thicker smoke is forecast to move over New York, Washington, DC and other cities in the East, with a first round already floating from Chicago to Boston.
In Canada, CNN reports that more than 3,000 fires have burned nearly 4.5 million acres this summer, and it links the setup to a heat dome parked over the central part of the country.
CNN also warns that wildfire smoke contains dangerous, tiny pollutants called PM2.5 that can travel deep into the lungs or enter the bloodstream when inhaled, and it says people with lung or heart disease, children and older adults are especially at risk for smoke-related illness.
What it looks like
In New Jersey, New Jersey 101.5 Chief Meteorologist Dan Zarrow said the peak of the heat wave will be Wednesday, when the state could reach 100 degrees and Canadian wildfire smoke may bring hazy skies, smoky air and poor air quality.
New Jersey 101.5 also described the smoke reaching the state as creating “orange skies” and said there was “the smell of smoke” as skies were already hazy in some areas on Tuesday.
NBC Boston said the milky, hazy appearance over New England is being caused by wildfire smoke being blown into the area from Canada, and it reported that most of the smoke is forecast to remain aloft over New England.
NBC Boston added that the smoke will thicken Wednesday and remain in the upper atmosphere Thursday, but it warned that if it begins moving closer to the surface, air quality will deteriorate quickly.
Health guidance and alerts
CNN reports that the National Weather Service has warned that smoke could become an air quality concern in Chicago later this week, and it says the NWS advises people avoid smoke by limiting outdoor activities and keeping windows closed overnight.
“The smoke from Canada is drifting overhead”
The Weather Channel said wildfire smoke may lead to unhealthy air quality from the upper Midwest to the mid-Atlantic states and New England, and it warned that winds will bring some of that smoke into the northern U.S.
The Weather Channel also described how wildfire smoke contains microscopic “particulate matter” that can lodge deep into the lungs and then enter your bloodstream, and it said it can lead to short-term effects like coughing, shortness or breath, a scratchy throat, runny nose and burning eyes.
For staying safe, The Weather Channel said to check an air quality forecast before heading outside and noted that if the forecast is “Code red, purple or maroon: Everyone should limit their time outdoors.”
