A northerly to northwesterly flow over dozens of wildfires in southern Canada is helping to usher in smoke over the Northeast and Great Lakes on Thursday, with health alerts in effect for many communities.
An estimated 111 million Americans were under air quality alerts on Wednesday due to wildfire smoke as alerts stretched over 1,000 miles from Iowa to Massachusetts and down through the Carolinas and Georgia.
Cities such as Chicago, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia all experienced poor air quality and reduced visibility.
Some of the poorest Air Quality Index readings were in Northeast Ohio, where several communities reported an AQI value above 300 at one point.
The AQI scale starts at 0 and runs to 500, with values of 50 or below representing cleaner air and values over 300 considered to be hazardous.
Reductions in visibility couldn’t come at a worse time for passengers, as AAA expects record travel for the Independence Day weekend.
If visibilities are reduced enough, air traffic control towers can change operations to allow more space between aircraft, leading to delays.
Canada’s Toronto Pearson International Airport reported delays of more than an hour on Wednesday, which included many flights to the U.S.
Officials in New York warned that air quality levels could reach poor values on Thursday, but the FOX Forecast Center said the invasion of smoke would not be as extensive as when the Big Apple set records earlier in the month.
Observation sites in the NYC metro reported an AQI of around 405 in June, setting a new modern record for the poorest air.
Justin Trudeau blowing smoke...part 2
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