Houston: New York City’s air quality worsened as smoke from Canadian wildfires poured into the US East Coast and Midwest, data showed, adding that pollution levels in the metropolitan city were among the highest among significant cities around the world. Even left behind New Delhi. New York City’s picturesque and famous skyline disappeared on Wednesday behind a hazy curtain of smoke from Canada’s wildfires.
According to IQAir, New York City had the highest level of air pollution among significant cities around the world on Wednesday morning, surpassing even New Delhi.
In a recent global air quality report, India was ranked eighth in the list, with Chad, Iraq, Pakistan, Bahrain and Bangladesh being the five most polluted countries in 2022.
Weather forecasters expect foggy weather to continue in New York for the rest of the week.
AccuWeather forecasters expect ‘very unhealthy’ levels to continue for the rest of the week.
The air quality in New York City was listed as ‘unhealthy’ as of Wednesday morning.
Visibility reduced due to smog in the city. Several weather stations in the Big Apple reported visibility of less than a mile.
Ground stops were issued at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and LaGuardia Airport in New York City on Wednesday afternoon due to reduced visibility from smoke and haze, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
In addition to New York, a strong smell of smoke, dark skies and shortness of breath caught the attention of residents in other cities and towns from Maryland to New Hampshire, reporting low visibility and hazy skies.
Some of the worst levels of air quality were found in Delaware. Wilmington, Delaware, which is located about 24 miles southwest of Philadelphia, scored an air quality index of 199, which is considered very unhealthy.
Photos and video shared on social media captured the eerie glow of the sun rising above some of the most famous skyscrapers in the Big Apple.
Abnormally poor air quality in the Northeast is ‘extremely rare in modern times’, according to AccuWeather’s chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter, and is at levels of air pollution that exceed similar air pollution standards and restrictions in other parts of the world. Often seen without Including China, India, Southeast Asia and even South America.
“As bad as the smoke and air pollution was on Tuesday, air quality is expected to worsen over parts of the Northeast on Wednesday, and poor air quality is expected in some areas over the weekend,” Porter said.
Porter recommended that if anyone has to spend time outside, use a high-quality N95 or KN95 mask.
“Sleeping with the windows closed and using an air conditioner or fan can be helpful,” she said, adding that a HEPA filter can reduce the number of these tiny particles in the air.
Dr. Boris Quenehane, an air quality scientist at Plume Labs, said: “Smoke is made up of gases and particles, the same pollutants that are responsible for poor air quality”.
As smog is forecast to spread to parts of the East this week, an air quality alert has been issued along a roughly 850-mile path from South Carolina to New Hampshire.
“For more than a month, wildfires have raged across Alberta, Canada. Depending on weather conditions, smoke from these wildfires can be spread over great distances, in different directions and at different times,” Quenehane said. -Can be moved to different heights.”
“Denver, Colorado, was hit by smoke from the Canadian wildfires two weeks ago and now it’s the Northeast US,” he said.
New York City Major Eric Adams urged all residents on Tuesday night to limit outdoor activities this week.
Adams said New York City public schools would remain open but “will not be offering any outdoor activities” on Wednesday.
New Jersey officials urged residents to limit their time outside due to poor air quality.
For those who must work outside, the state recommended people wear N95 masks, with many New Jersey schools canceling recess and other outdoor activities due to poor air quality across the state.
“People should check AccuWeather exclusive Plume Labs air quality maps more often and limit their time outside,” Porter said.
“Sleeping with the windows closed and using an air conditioner or fan can be helpful,” she said, adding that a HEPA filter can reduce the number of these tiny particles in the air.
AccuWeather forecasters say Canada’s wildfire season has started devastatingly early.
As of early June, more than 8 million acres of land have been burned by wildfires across Canada, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center (CIFFC). The CIFFC was tracking more than 400 active fires across the country on Monday.
This alert means air pollution concentrations in the area will be unhealthy for people with heart or lung disease, children and adults over age 65. The alert warned these people to limit their time outside.
“Exposure to elevated levels of fine particulate matter, such as wood smoke, may increase the likelihood of respiratory symptoms and heart or lung disease in sensitive individuals,” the National Weather Service alert said.