Wildfires in Canada Cause Yellowish Skies, Bad Air in Northeastern US

Published: June 7, 2023

A hazy sun sets on May 22, 2023 in New York City. The National Weather Service has said that haze from the Canadian wildfires some 3,000 miles away is impacting New York City and much of the Northeast. The haze has resulted in a blood red sunrise Monday as hundreds of wildfires continued to burn in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. (Image: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

New York and the rest of the northeastern U.S. are experiencing “unhealthy” air quality as thick wildfire smoke from multiple blazes in Canada enters the region. Officials are urging individuals sensitive to smoke to stay indoors as the air quality reaches concerning levels in the Big Apple and other areas.

Canada is grappling with an extensive wildfire crisis. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC), there are currently 425 active fires across the country, with more than half of them being out of control. These fires have already consumed 9.39 million acres, which is 17 times larger than the 20-year average and exceeds the size of Connecticut.

The smoke started moving across the Interstate 95 corridor and drifted to eastern New York and western New England on Monday evening. Britta Merwin of FOX Weather commented, “We got a lot of sunset photos that were very vibrant with that glow of the sun … But to see this haziness over the sky, it’s enough smoke particulate in the air that this could be a concern for air quality, not only for sensitive groups but for just about everybody that lives in the Northeast.”

The air quality conditions persisted in New York City for most of the day and into Tuesday, and concerns about poor air quality are likely to continue over the next few days.