Canadian Wildfires Send Smoke Spilling Into U.S.

Posted: May 11, 2023 2:00 pm

Wildfire season has already sprung into gear across Alberta and British Columbia, Canada. While these fires are burning across the western portion of the country, the weather patterns are carrying the resulting smoke all the way into the eastern half of the U.S.

Early Start to Canadian Wildfire Season

The unseasonably early wildfires spreading across the Canadian Prairies have been sending a haze over some of the country’s most populated East Coast cities.

While this lingering smoke is not unusual during the summer and fall months as the fire activity peaks across North America, the haze that is filtering across part of the continent this past week has been an eerie sight.

These fires are burning well ahead of the historical average in Western Canada. Alberta has been ground zero for the activity with over 100 active fires raging. This number includes over two dozen fires that are not under control.

According to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System, over 3,100 hectares have been scorched in Alberta alone this year. This amount is over twice the 10-year historical average through May 10, speaking to the uniqueness of this early start.

The northern tier of Alberta is seeing the worst of the activity. Over 29,000 people have been forced to leave their homes as the flames encroach closer to populated towns. A state of emergency is in place for much of the province.

While fires are also burning in parts of British Columbia and Saskatchewan, Alberta has still seen the bulk of the action.

Smoke Migrates to U.S.

The smoke from the fires in northern Canada has gone on quite a journey in the last few days. The haze has reached as north as the Arctic Circle and as far east and south as the Atlantic Seaboard of the U.S.

Many areas in New England woke up to hazy skies on Tuesday as a result of the smoke. By Wednesday, the smoke had traveled as far south as the mid-Atlantic. Cities such as New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. may have noticed the smoke.

Hazy conditions filled the sky over parts of New England on Tuesday and spread over the mid-Atlantic by Wednesday morning, including over New York City and Washington, D.C. The smoke was picked up on numerous weather satellites as well.

The good news is that the smoke was hovering too high in the upper levels of the atmosphere to significantly impact air quality levels at ground level. For most residents of the East Coast, the smoke simply created colorful sunsets and sunrises.

However, some isolated areas in the Northeast picked up fair to poor air quality ratings due to the presence of the smoke.

Unfortunately, the air index quality (AQI) is far more dangerous closer to the location of the fires. The official AQI in Calgary, Alberta was bouncing back and forth between fair and poor by the middle of the week.

The ratings were more dangerous in areas to the north and west of the major city located along the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. For instance, some pockets of air were measuring at “very unhealthy” or “dangerous.” AQI levels of this magnitude can be dangerous even to otherwise healthy individuals.

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