Climate
VIDEO: New York "choking" on smoke from Canada's wildfires
“Unhealthy” air and smoky conditions are expected to remain in all five boroughs through Sunday
June 7, 2023 5:27pm
Updated: June 7, 2023 6:09pm
Wildfires from Canada engulfed the East Coast and Midwestern United States on Wednesday, completely engulfing central New York.
Orange smoke billowed over the city for the second day in a row, causing all five boroughs to be placed under an Air Quality Health Advisory through Thursday morning.
“Unhealthy” air and smoky conditions are expected to remain in all five boroughs through Sunday.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul warned the public to "prepare for this for the long haul," while New York City Mayor Eric Adams urged residents to limit outdoor activities as much as possible.
As the smoke settled, the city far exceeded the pollution levels of New Delhi, India, and the air quality was rated "hazardous," according to the IQair website, which tracks pollution levels.
Forecasters say the air is worse than it was in the 1980s, even worse than after the 9/11 attacks.
“We will be in this same weather pattern today and tomorrow,” Fox Weather meteorologist Stephen McCloud told The Post. "By Sunday night, we should start to see an improvement as a new storm system from the west approaches."
There were more than 150 wildfires in Quebec this week, according to the Canadian Interagency Wildfire Center; more than twice the number of fires in any other Canadian province.
So far in 2023, there have been more than 400 wildfires across Quebec, which is twice the average for this time of year.
Nearly 4 million hectares have been charred by fires in Canada so far this year, with more than 200,000 hectares burned in Quebec alone.
