Smoke from Canadian Wildfires Brings Hazy Skies and Poor Air Quality All the Way to Florida

Canada is no stranger to wildfires as this year has brought a severe wildfire season to the region. From March 2023, Canada has been affected by an ongoing and record-breaking series of wildfires that brought smoke and poor air quality to the U.S. The Minister of Energy and Natural Resources deemed 2023 "Canada's worst wildfire season", and it's not over yet.

Fire weather experts have forecasted a "well above average" wildfire activity level for central Canada through the fall.

As wildfires continue to burn just south of James Bay in Canada, the smoke has once again brought hazy skies and poor air quality to a large part of the Northeast U.S., reaching all the way to Florida.

Smoke Causes Poor Air Quality

On Monday morning, a plume of wildfire smoke caused hazy skies in New York City. Moderate air quality conditions at 55 were reported by The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation according to their air quality index. When the air quality range reaches above 50, it moves into the moderate category. According to this air quality index, "Air quality is acceptable, however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution."