On air quality maps, purple signifies the worst of it. In reality, it鈥檚 a thick, hazardous haze that鈥檚 disrupting daily life for millions of people across the U.S. and Canada, blotting out skylines and turning skies orange.
With weather systems expected to barely budge, the smoky blanket billowing from wildfires in Quebec and Nova Scotia and sending plumes of fine particulate matter as far away as North Carolina and northern Europe should persist into Thursday (June 8) and possibly the weekend.
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That means at least another day of a dystopian-style detour that鈥檚 chased players from ballfields, actors from Broadway stages, delayed thousands of flights and sparked a resurgence in mask wearing and remote work 鈥� all while raising concerns about the health effects of prolonged exposure to such bad air.
The weather system that鈥檚 driving the great Canadian-American smokeout 鈥� a low-pressure system over Maine and Nova Scotia 鈥� 鈥渨ill probably be hanging around at least for the next few days,鈥� U.S. National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Ramsey said.
鈥淐onditions are likely to remain unhealthy, at least until the wind direction changes or the fires get put out,鈥� Ramsey said. 鈥淪ince the fires are raging 鈥� they鈥檙e really large 鈥� they鈥檙e probably going to continue for weeks. But it鈥檚 really just going be all about the wind shift.鈥�
Across the eastern U.S., officials warned residents to stay inside and limit or avoid outdoor activities again Thursday, extending 鈥淐ode Red鈥� air quality alerts in some places for a third straight day as forecasts showed winds continuing to push smoke-filled air south.
The smoke has moved over Greenland and Iceland since June 1, and was expected to reach Norway on Thursday, the Norwegian Climate and Environmental Research Institute said, but wasn鈥檛 expected to be a health concern.
In Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser ordered schools to cancel outdoor recess, sports and field trips Thursday. In suburban Philadelphia, officials set up an emergency shelter so people living outside can take refuge from the haze.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state was making a million N95 masks 鈥� the kind prevalent at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic 鈥� available at state facilities, including 400,000 in New York City. She also urged residents to stay put.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 need to go out and take a walk. You don鈥檛 need to push the baby in the stroller,鈥� Hochul said Wednesday night. 鈥淭his is not a safe time to do that.鈥�
The message may be getting through. So far, officials said Wednesday, New York City has yet to see an uptick in 911 emergency calls related to respiratory issues and cardiac arrests.
More than 400 blazes burning across Canada have left 20,000 people displaced. The U.S. has sent more than 600 firefighters and equipment to Canada. Other countries are also helping.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to President Joe Biden by phone Wednesday. Trudeau鈥檚 office said he thanked Biden for his support and that both leaders 鈥渁cknowledged the need to work together to address the devastating impacts of climate change.鈥�
Canadian officials say this is shaping up to be the country鈥檚 worst wildfire season ever. It started early on drier-than-usual ground and accelerated quickly. Smoke from the blazes has been flowing into the U.S. since last month but intensified with recent fires in Quebec, where about 100 were considered out of control Wednesday.
鈥淚 can taste the air,鈥� Dr. Ken Strumpf said in a Facebook post from Syracuse, New York, where the sky took on the colorful nickname of the local university: Orange.
The smoke was so thick in Canada鈥檚 capital, Ottawa, that office towers just across the Ottawa River were barely visible. In Toronto, Yili Ma said her hiking group canceled a planned hike this week, and she was forgoing the restaurant patios that are a beloved summer tradition in a nation known for hard winters.
鈥淚 put my mask away for over a year, and now I鈥檓 putting on my mask since yesterday,鈥� Ma lamented.
Eastern Quebec got some rain Wednesday, but Montreal-based Environment Canada meteorologist Simon Legault said no significant rain is expected for days in the remote areas of central Quebec where the wildfires are more intense.
In the U.S., federal officials delayed some flights bound Thursday morning for New York鈥檚 LaGuardia Airport; Newark, New Jersey; and Philadelphia because smoke was limiting visibility. The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that it will likely need to take steps to manage the flow of air traffic into Washington, D.C., and Charlotte, North Carolina, as well.
Major League Baseball鈥檚 Yankees and Phillies had their games postponed. On Broadway, 鈥淗amilton鈥� and 鈥淐amelot鈥� canceled Wednesday performances and 鈥淧rima Facie鈥� star Jodie Comer left a matinee after 10 minutes because of difficulty breathing. The show restarted with an understudy, show publicists said.
It was not to be at Central Park鈥檚 outdoor stage, either. Shakespeare in the Park canceled its Thursday and Friday performances of 鈥淗amlet,鈥� saying 鈥檛is not nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of wretched air.
Jennifer Peltz, Rob Gillies And Michael R. Sisak, The Associated Press
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