Canada Wildfires-Smoke spreads hundreds of miles

 As wildfires rage on in Canada, their impact is being felt hundreds of miles away in the form of smoke and haze across the Northeastern United States. Cities such as New York and Washington have been exposed to poor air quality due to the fires.

The forecast model illustrates that the most intense smoke, close to the earth's surface, is predicted to persist over the next several hours. Smoke-induced air pollution on Wednesday was found to be harmful from Detroit to Philadelphia, as per the air quality data source, AirNow.

Around 150 fires are currently active in Quebec alone, as reported by the Canadian
Interagency Forest Fire Centre. These fires, some of which started weeks ago, have been pushing smoke south into the United States and then eastward due to a storm system off the coast of Nova Scotia. This has resulted in the smoke reaching some of the most densely populated regions in the country.

The current weather pattern, conducive to the movement and persistence of haze, is expected to continue for several more days. Numerous fires in Quebec were sparked by lightning strikes earlier this month. However, the fires have been further fueled by higher-than-average temperatures and dry conditions prevalent since May.

Fire season in Quebec and Canada generally begins in May, slightly before fire activity usually commences in the United States. The Canadian Interagency Fire Centre reported that, as of Tuesday, more than 400 fires are actively burning across Canada, with 240 of them being uncontrolled.

Meanwhile, the United States has so far seen a few major fire outbreaks. Yet, the trend in recent years shows an increase in the frequency of fires, resulting in extended fire seasons and heightened destruction.