More Canadian wildfire smoke shrouds US midwest, mid-Atlantic and north-east | US news

As Canadian wildfire smoke spreads again across large parts of the United States, affecting nearly 109 million people in the midwest, mid-Atlantic and northeast, tens of millions of Americans endure another day of smoky skies, irritated eyes and poor air quality.

According to the government website, raging wildfire has engulfed cities like Chicago and Detroit; Residents here were warned to stay indoors and reduce activity levels after the air quality index reached a “dangerous” 361 on Friday. AirNow.

The smoke drifted toward Baltimore and Washington, D.C. overnight, creating very unhealthy air quality with index values ​​of 281 and 247, respectively, as of 6 a.m. Eastern time. Air quality in New York City was at an “unhealthy” level of 184 early Friday, as smog has blanketed the city since Tuesday. It later rose to 124, which was considered “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups”.

Around 260 “very unhealthy” readings were recorded in Philadelphia and Cleveland. Other parts of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin also recorded readings in the “dangerous” range.

Overall, the global air quality index showed that pollution in North America’s five largest cities was at higher levels than Kinshasa or Nairobi in Africa, the next cities on the list. NASA’s Fire Information for Resource Management Systemor Companies show Canadian wildfires reaching deep into the Northwest Territories.

In Michigan, the state’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy recommended closing windows, minimizing opening doors and using HVAC systems rated Merv-13 or higher.

“If you must be outside for short periods of time, a NIOSH-marked N95 or P100 respirator is recommended,” the warning said.

But some cities in the northeast and New England are expected to escape the smoky skies on Friday; because strong winds from Quebec, not the wildfire zone in western Ontario, are pushing out smoke.

“There has been a significant intensification of wildfires in Canada over the last few weeks. Particularly smoke from large fires in Ontario.” [is] “There are already serious air quality impacts in cities in the Great Lakes region and the northeastern United States,” said Mark Parrington, senior scientist at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service.

“Our forecasts show smoke continuing to move eastward across the North Atlantic and potentially into Europe, highlighting the extent of bushfire pollution and how it can travel thousands of kilometers across borders and affect air quality in places far beyond the fires,” he added.

Organizers of the World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will be watching smoke patterns carefully: the smoke currently in the middle of the Atlantic is expected to erupt again towards the northeast.

But a storm system approaching from the west and bringing severe thunderstorms can interact with the smoke and create worse conditions as rain drags smoky air from the upper atmosphere toward the ground.

Once the storm passes late Saturday, air quality is likely to improve over time leading up to kickoff at 3pm on Sunday. However, sources familiar with the situation said officials were “monitoring” whether the smoke clouds would affect the game. he told ABC News.

Canada’s largest fire, occurring near Ontario’s remote Wabakimi provincial park, is reported to have spread across 787,802 acres (318,812 hectares) by the Canadian Interagency Wildfire Centre. It is among 194 out-of-control and major fires burning as of Thursday.

Smoke from large-scale wildfires in Canada’s Northwest Territories has reached the Arctic Ocean as well as other parts of the country, Parrington said.

It is estimated that approximately 6 million acres burned; The last time Canadian wildfire smoke blanketed the United States in 2023, less than a quarter of that area was consumed by flames. Fires in northern Minnesota have burned more than 63,000 acres.

Wildfires were also reported in the West in Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

“The wildfire situation in North America has worsened. Tens of thousands of lightning strikes in the Pacific Northwest [have] It sparked dozens of new wildfires in Oregon and Washington.” wrote tipster Colin McCarthy on Thursday evening.

Smoke plumes from wildfires risk reversing gains from reductions in pollution from other sources. According to a study dated 2025 By Carnegie Mellon University Tepper School of Business. Researchers estimate that smoke from wildfires and prescription burns caused $200 billion in health damage in 2017 and was associated with 20,000 premature deaths.

“Many studies have found that fire smoke, like other air pollutants, is associated with an increased risk of illness and death,” said co-author Nicholas Muller, professor of economics, engineering and public policy.

At the other end of the U.S., heavy rainfall in south and central Texas, including the Texas Hill Country hit by severe flooding last year, has exceeded 20 inches in some places since Monday. The Guadalupe River near Comfort in Kerr County rose 37 feet above flood stage.

AccuWeather’s Global Weather Center puts the preliminary estimate of damage and economic loss at $11 to $13 billion. Excessive rainfall is consistent with the company’s findings. climate research By detecting more than 4 inches of precipitation in a 24-hour period, the unit has actually increased by 70% since 1995.

Jonathan Porter, AccuWeather’s chief meteorologist, said in an email that the general definition of an extreme precipitation event as a “one-in-1,000-year rain event” is based on probabilities.

“In a warming climate, these historical probabilities are changing, meaning these extreme precipitation events may occur more frequently than historical statistics suggest,” Porter said.