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Hazy Days: Wildfire Smoke From Canada Turns Skies Orange Across the Midwest and Northeast
Quick Summary
Smoke from hundreds of wildfires burning in Canada drifted south this week, covering a huge part of the United States in hazy air. More than 120 million people in states from Minnesota to Massachusetts have been affected. Health officials are giving helpful advice to keep everyone safe.
What Happened?
Hundreds of wildfires are burning across Canada right now. Wind is carrying their smoke south across the border into the United States. By Thursday, that smoke had settled low to the ground across a massive area — all the way from Minnesota and Chicago in the Midwest to New York City and Boston on the East Coast.
The smoke turns skies a hazy orange-gray color and makes the air smell like a campfire. In some cities, it actually smelled like cigarettes outside. People looked up and could barely see the sun.
Air quality experts measure how clean or dirty the air is using a score called the Air Quality Index, or AQI. A score above 100 means the air is unhealthy for some people. A score above 300 is considered hazardous for everyone. In parts of Minnesota, the AQI hit over 1,000 on Thursday — more than three times the hazardous level!
At least 17 states were under air quality alerts, including Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. Chicago, Detroit, and Minneapolis ranked among the most polluted major cities in the world for a day.
Health officials, meteorologists, and local governments quickly got to work. Officials in New York City handed out protective masks to commuters. Alerts went out across apps, radios, and websites telling people how to stay safe.
The National Weather Service expects the smoke to start clearing out by this weekend as wind patterns change.
Why Does It Matter?
Wildfire smoke is made up of tiny particles called PM2.5. These particles are so small — 30 times thinner than a human hair — that they can slip right through your nose and deep into your lungs. Breathing a lot of smoke is especially hard on children, older adults, and people with asthma or heart conditions.
The good news: there are simple things that really help. Staying indoors with the windows closed keeps the air inside much cleaner. An air purifier or air conditioner can filter out particles. If you do need to go outside, an N95 mask offers much better protection than a regular mask. You can also check the free website AirNow.gov to see the air quality in your exact neighborhood.
Scientists note that smoky summers like this one are becoming more common as the world gets warmer, making it even more important to learn how to protect ourselves.
Big Words
- Air Quality Index (AQI) — a number scale scientists use to show how clean or polluted the air is at any moment; the higher the number, the worse the air
- PM2.5 — tiny pollution particles found in wildfire smoke that can float in the air for days and travel deep into lungs
- Wildfire — a large, fast-spreading fire that burns forests, grasslands, or other natural areas
- Hazardous — something that is dangerous or harmful to people’s health
- N95 mask — a special type of mask designed to filter out 95% of tiny particles in the air, including wildfire smoke
Fun Fact
Tiny smoke particles from a wildfire can stay floating in the air for up to two weeks and travel thousands of miles — sometimes all the way across an entire ocean!
Think About It
If smoke from far-away wildfires can reach your neighborhood, what are some things communities and countries could work on together to reduce the number of wildfires?
Sources
- CNN — Wildfire smoke will drive poor air quality through Saturday as new plumes arrive from Canada
- CBS News — Maps show wildfire smoke forecast, air quality alerts in swath of U.S.
- Washington Post — Wildfire smoke will worsen in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic through Friday
- Yahoo News / AP — At least 17 states under air quality alerts as Canadian wildfire smoke spreads
- Weather.com — Wildfire smoke settles across US from Boston to Chicago