Why Wildfire Smoke Travels So Far And How Long It Will Last

As hundreds of wildfires burn in Canada, parts of the U.S. are seeing thick smog and record high air quality issues caused by smoke from the blazes. Swaths of Canada’s eastern provinces, Quebec and Ontario, began battling fires over a week ago. So far, more than 9 million acres of land have been burned and over 20,000 people have evacuated, Canadian officials said Wednesday. Smoke from those fires traveled south to the U.S. this week where it’s affecting the northeast, the Great Lakes, and the mid-Atlantic. Many cities, including New York City, Philadelphia, and Pennsylvania have issued air quality alerts due to the smoke and taken measures like canceling outdoor school activities. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Hundreds of miles away from the fires, in one of the smokiest areas, Syracuse’s air quality readings indicated the air was “hazardous.” The New York City skyline has turned a dark, orange hue that people liken to Mars, and pedestrians complain of a strong cigar-like smell. The governor’s office notes that after monitoring the smoke threat for last week, it became significantly worse over Tuesday and Wednesday. Here’s what to know about the smoke: Why smoke can travel so far Tom Kines, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, explains that the smoke people are seeing was able to spread all the way from Canada because of how copious and ongoing the fires are. “These fires are still burning up there. They’...
Source: TIME: Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Uncategorized climate change Explainer extreme weather healthscienceclimate Source Type: news