A wildifre burning in Nova Scotia has not only forced the evacuation of thousands in Canada, but has sent air quality plummeting in cities across the northeastern U.S. this week.
Tourists in New York City likely took photos against hazy skies this week, with air quality on Tuesday afternoon and evening significantly reduced.
The National Weather Service office there said Wednesday that clouds would give way to hazy sunshine with another day of smoke from the fires.
“Air quality alerts are in effect for New Jersey as a result per @NewJerseyDEP,” it said.
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A view of hazy sky in New York City on May 30, 2023, due to impacts from a Nova Scotia wildfire. (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The office in Mount Holly said air quality concerns would continue in that area on Wednesday, with similar conditions as the smoke lingers.
“A code orange air quality alert has been issued across southeastern P.A. and all of N.J. Sensitive groups should minimize strenuous outdoor activities,” it advised.
People stand on 42nd Street in Times Square as they photograph the second evening of the Manhattanhenge sunset on May 30, 2023, in New York City. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
An alert was also in effect in Detroit on Wednesday, and smoke was also reported to impact Albany and other parts of New York, portions of Connecticut and Massachusetts, areas from central Virginia to southern Maryland and Maine.
Haze in the sky from the Nova Scotia wildfire seen at a Maine farm. (NWS Gray/Twitter)
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“This smoke is being smelled at ground level. Be alert if you are planning to be outside later today/tonight,” the agency’s Albany office said Tuesday.
“Nova Scotia smoke has made its way to the surface, we can actually smell it here at the office!” the National Weather Service in Boston said. (NWS Boston/Twitter)
A wildfire on Canada’s Atlantic coast has damaged around 200 houses and structures and led to the evacuation of 16,000 people.
Firefighters worked through the night to extinguish hotspots in the fire that started in the Halifax area on Sunday.
Thick plumes of heavy smoke fill the Halifax sky as an out-of-control fire in a suburban community quickly spread, engulfing multiple homes and forcing the evacuation of local residents, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Sunday, May 28, 2023. ((Kelly Clark/The Canadian Press via AP))
Premier Tim Houston announced that the province would ban all travel and activity in all wooded areas as of 4 p.m. local time, with fire officials warning that there could be a “reburn” in evacuated subdivisions with the return of windy and dry conditions on Tuesday.
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The forecast is calling for hotter weather on Wednesday. No rain is forecast until Friday at the earliest.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
