Global Courant
Unhealthy air in parts of the US was forecast for another day on Friday as smoke from Canadian wildfires was carried south by the wind, but some improvement has been seen.
New York City was shrouded in an eerie orange haze that began Tuesday as smoke from wildfires in Canada drifted south.
The city of more than 8 million was considered the worst air quality in the world this week, but was ranked 15th on a list by the tracking service early Friday IQAir.com.
Air quality alerts covered most of New York state, as well as Connecticut, New Jersey, all of Pennsylvania and Indiana, and parts of Ohio and Michigan, according to the National Weather Service.
“An area of high low pressure has and will carry smoke from the wildfires in Quebec, Ontario and Nova Scotia into parts of the Midwest, Northeast and Mid-Atlantic over the weekend,” the U.S. weather service said in a Thursday. forecast discussion.
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams had warned vulnerable New Yorkers to stay indoors and everyone else to limit their time outside in the smoke. The weather service said an air quality warning extends through Friday for much of the area.
Other cities, including Philadelphia and Washington DC, were also hit. Flights were also delayed or canceled due to the circumstances.
Philadelphia schools had to operate remotely on Friday out of an abundance of caution, the city’s school district said.
New York City public school students who were scheduled to attend classes on Friday were also moved to a remote school, though a previously scheduled “administrative day” meant some students would not have attended classes on Friday anyway.
More than 400 wildfires have raged in Canada, which is experiencing very warm temperatures and dry conditions, according to the Canadian government and US forecasters.
The US and other countries have sent or agreed to send firefighters or other aid to Canada.
