Air quality warnings remain in place across US as wildfire smoke continues to swathe country | Wildfires
While uncertainty continues about where the dense wildfire smoke spreading from the Canadian province of Ontario and the US state of Minnesota will go next, warnings about dangerous conditions are expected to continue in many parts of the United States on Saturday.
Parts of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions of the United States will continue to experience poor air quality through Saturday afternoon. Chance of storm is highThis may provide some relief from bad weather, but can also introduce other risks such as flash floods and high winds. Meanwhile, parts of the midwest and Great Lakes regions will continue to experience hazardous air quality.
The smoke also raises questions about air quality in New Jersey, where the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina will be played in East Rutherford on Sunday. But winds continue to push wildfire smoke eastward in the U.S., so conditions are expected to be better on Saturday’s game day.
But Bob Oravec, chief forecaster for the Maryland-based National Weather Service, told The Associated Press that while there may be some relief at times, like this weekend, smoky conditions won’t go away anytime soon as fires continue to burn largely uncontrolled.
Out of control forest fires keep burning U.S. authorities closed the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Ontario and Minnesota as they struggled to extinguish fires.
For much of the past week, tens of millions of people in Canada and the United States have been breathing unhealthy air, triggering everything from eye irritation to the temporary closure of some businesses and the cancellation of many outdoor events. Flames in northern Ontario destroyed Namaygoosisagagun First Nation community and nearly a dozen other communities was evacuated or was being evacuated.
On Friday, communities in Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan and the northeastern US, including Detroit and Washington D.C., recorded some of the worst air quality in the world, according to air quality monitoring site IQAir; The sky was hazy orange most of the day.
People, especially those with heart or lung disease, older adults, pregnant women and children, were urged to avoid going outdoors or outdoors until air quality improves. Officials in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and other northeastern states also distributed free K95 face masks for people to wear if they had to go out.
long term exposure to smoky conditions It can further complicate existing health problems and lead to chronic and fatal problems such as respiratory diseases, cardiovascular and neurological diseases, and premature death.
Wildfire smoke is linked to tens of thousands of deaths a year, and scientists predict the human-caused climate crisis is to blame for an increasing share.
