The menacing smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to engulf a significant portion of the United States, leading to a US air quality alert being issued for 11 states across the northern Plains, Midwest, and Great Lakes regions on Sunday.
The smoky pall stretches from Montana to New York, adversely affecting the visibility and air quality for nearly 60 million people, including inhabitants of cities like Chicago, Detroit, New York, St. Louis, Cedar Rapids, and Cleveland.
‘Unhealthy’ Air Quality Index Plagues Large Swath of US
The US air quality alert arrives as a substantial segment of the northern Plains, extending from Montana through Illinois, registered an ‘unhealthy’ range on the Air Quality Index, which corresponds to Level 4 of 6, on Sunday.
“While the concentration of smoke in the atmosphere should begin to wane by Monday, there is still enough smoke to support unhealthy air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups in parts of these regions into the start of the upcoming week,” noted the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center.
US Air Quality Alert: New York State Activates Emergency
The smoke from the wildfires raging in Western Canada has resulted in an air quality health advisory for the entire state of New York. “The smoke is expected to cause the Air Quality Index to reach levels in Upstate communities that are ‘Unhealthy for All’ New Yorkers,” stated Gov. Kathy Hochul.
