Many Americans are stepping outside on Friday to a hazy sky or an orange-tinted sun, perhaps for the second or third day in a row.
It comes as wildfire smoke from Canada is spreading across the eastern half of the country. It’s pouring south from hundreds of active fires burning across Ontario and British Columbia, where crews continue to battle large, out-of-control wildfires.
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And for millions of people, Friday could be the worst of it.
Americans mask up as air quality declines
From New York City to Chicago, people are masking up as thick smoke from Canadian wildfires pushes air quality to unhealthy and, in some places, hazardous levels.
“I was a bit surprised. I live down in Miami, so we don’t really get that much wildfires happening, and it’s a bit overwhelming,” Samuel Etienne, who is visiting Chicago, said. He added, “I had to run to the store and buy myself a mask and emergency inhaler, and I was not expecting this.”
The smoke has also turned skies hazy across the Midwest and Northeast, reducing visibility and triggering air quality alerts from the Great Lakes to New England.
“Coming out of the subway, chest started to give me some issues,” Larrion Harmon, who is also visiting Chicago, said. “Nose was burning. I can taste it. So I’m just sitting here and like, wow, I really need a mask.”
One pilot flying near Thunder Bay, Ontario, thought he was looking at a line of thunderstorms until he got closer and realized the massive plume below was smoke pouring from active wildfires. In fact, some pilots are now reporting ash buildup on their planes’ windshields while flying.
What officials are saying
Health officials have urged people, especially children, older adults and those with heart or lung conditions, to limit time outdoors if they can.
Forecasters said conditions should start to improve across parts of the Northeast on Friday, though smoke could linger into the weekend in some areas as new plumes continue to drift south.
“Where the smoke is the thickest, it is reaching the surface at times, slightly reducing visibilities, and creating a burning or campfire smell,” the National Weather Service said in an update Friday.
And even with the smoke potentially clearing out of some areas on Friday, National Weather Service meteorologist Jake Petr told The Associated Press that smoke could return until the fires are out.
And that could take months, officials have said.
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