New York Braces For Massive Wildfire Smoke

In early June 2023, New York City was blanketed by extremely thick smoke, caused by tremendously large wildfires in northern Quebec. The smoke partially blotted out the sun, and people took out the medical masks they used during the pandemic and used them to cover their mouths and noses, much as people often do in Beijing, one of the world’s dirtiest air cities.

More Dangerous Weather –Three-Inch Hail?

The 2023 Canadian wildfires destroyed areas as big as Connecticut or Ohio, depending on the source of the information. Not all were in northern Quebec, but they were the largest. Weather experts believe New York City will be blanketed by wildfire smoke again this summer.

Another Season Of Smoke

According to Glenn McGillivray, managing director at the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, the smoke could return each year indefinitely. In support of that, “Early projections for 2024 indicate the potential for early and above normal fire activity over the spring months as the result of ongoing drought, warmer than normal temperatures, and drier than normal forecasts,” said Jonathan Wilkinson, Canadian minister of Energy and Natural Resources.

The smoke from these fires will circle the earth for days, damaging health. Last year, weather alerts in New York City advised people with certain health conditions to stay inside. Even the healthy should not exercise, the city warned. New York has not become Beijing, but it has gotten a little closer.

Wildfires have already fouled the area in many cities in the western US because of fires in California and Oregon. The East Coast will probably get a taste of the same every year.