Air Quality Woes in the North, Heat Wave in the South: U.S. Reels from Difficult Weather
By Alyssa Lukpat June 29, 2023 10:32 am ET At least half of the U.S. is poised for difficult weather conditions on Thursday, with the Northeast and the Midwest smothered by Canadian wildfire smoke and the South sweltering in a relentless heat wave. Tens of millions of people in the northern U.S. are breathing unhealthy or hazardous air tinged with smoke, according to AirNow, a government tracking site. Southern winds carried the smoke to the U.S., which is again feeling the effects of one of Canada’s most destructive wildfire seasons on record. This round, however, wasn’t expected to be as severe as earlier this month, when the skies turned orange in parts of the East and the air
At least half of the U.S. is poised for difficult weather conditions on Thursday, with the Northeast and the Midwest smothered by Canadian wildfire smoke and the South sweltering in a relentless heat wave.
Tens of millions of people in the northern U.S. are breathing unhealthy or hazardous air tinged with smoke, according to AirNow, a government tracking site. Southern winds carried the smoke to the U.S., which is again feeling the effects of one of Canada’s most destructive wildfire seasons on record.
This round, however, wasn’t expected to be as severe as earlier this month, when the skies turned orange in parts of the East and the air quality was hazardous.
Satellite images show plumes of smoke from Canadian wildfires moving across the U.S. Midwest toward the East Coast on Wednesday. Tens of millions of people remain under air-quality alerts. Photo: CIRA/Storyful
The air quality was forecast to be unhealthy Thursday in parts of Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Pennsylvania and western New York, according to AirNow. The smoke was drifting away from the Midwest, which since Tuesday has been blanketed in haze.
New York City’s air quality Thursday morning was considered unhealthy for sensitive populations. The city still had clear blue skies, but the haze was expected to roll in later in the day.
AirNow classifies air quality on a scale from good to moderate, and then unhealthy to hazardous.
Officials in the smoky areas this week have asked people to limit their time outside and consider wearing KN95 or N95 face masks that can stop them from inhaling pollutants. Millions of people in those regions are under air-quality alerts.
“Please check air quality levels and take appropriate precautions to stay safe before heading outside,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a tweet Wednesday.
People wearing face masks to protect against air pollution Thursday in Washington, D.C.
Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis and Washington, D.C., have had some of the worst air quality in the world this week, according to the air-quality information platform IQAir.
Friday was set to be a clearer day. The air quality was forecast to be moderate in most of the Midwest and the Northeast, according to AirNow.
The East Coast has also been dealing with travel chaos this week as a series of storms halted flights. Airlines have canceled or delayed thousands of flights. Dense fog and reduced visibility was forecast for much of the Midwest and Northeast Thursday, the National Weather Service said.
States in the South continue to grapple with a heat wave that has engulfed the region for much of the month. A heat dome has been parked over the area, meaning the atmosphere has trapped hot air in the South for weeks.
More than 82 million people Thursday morning were under an excessive heat warning or heat advisory, according to the National Weather Service.
Texas has taken the brunt of the heat wave, halting daily life as people try to stay inside to avoid the humidity and triple-digit temperatures. The heat has strained the power grid and raised fears of blackouts, though it has held up.
Yard cleaners at work Thursday during hot weather in Houston.
Photo: GO NAKAMURA/REUTERS
Texas can finally expect some relief as the Fourth of July approaches, bringing slightly cooler temperatures. The heat dome was set to weaken as it moved east this weekend, according to the weather service.
California’s Central Valley and parts of Arizona and Nevada were expected to get triple-digit heat this holiday weekend, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Prediction Center.
—Gareth Vipers contributed to this article.
Write to Alyssa Lukpat at [email protected]
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