‘Apocalyptic’ photos capture smoky haze blanketing New York City as moon turns red and air alerts raised
The skies across the northeastern United States, including New York were engulfed by smoke flowing from Canada as roughly 400 wildfires continue to rage in the country.
New York City was the world’s most polluted major city on Wednesday, surpassing Delhi, Baghdad, Kuwait and Dhaka, according to ratings by IQAir, a Swiss technology company that monitors air quality.
The worst impact of the pollution was visible in the tri-state area where visibility plummeted and skies turned hazy. The sun and the moon were also blotted to a deep orange by the smoky conditions.
The air quality advisories cover large parts of northern South Carolina, much of North Carolina, New York, northern Virginia, much of Maryland, Delaware, eastern Pennsylvania, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and western New Hampshire.
Climate scientists agree: although fires are part of the ecosystem in some regions, the climate crisis is making them more frequent and intense.Dozens of studies have linked larger wildfires to global heating that is caused by emissions from burning of fossil fuels.
Here are some of the pictures that show the Big Apple’s skyline covered in smoke and haze:
Briefly on Tuesday, New York City’s air quality index stood at 174 on Wednesday, which is considered “very unhealthy”.
Worsening air quality has prompted health alerts in New York and Quebec with officials warning people about the impact of fine particles known as PM2.5, which can lead to respiratory illnesses.
Officials have urged New Yorkers to wear a mask when stepping outside. This is the first time in recent years that air quality levels have led to a mask advisory.
At least 10 school districts in New York cancelled outdoor activities, including recess and gym classes.
The moon turned red for residents in the northeastern US, an occurrence directly linked to smoke drifting down from the Canadian wildfires as it appears behind grey, hazy skies.
Satellite images show thick smoke cover extending across the northeastern US, as far as the Carolinas.
Canada is currently facing one of its worst wildfire seasons on record, with over 6.7 million acres already scorched since this year’s start.
Fires have forced about 10,000 people from their homes in Quebec, with most of those in the northwestern Abitibi region and the eastern Côte-Nord region.
No one has died in the Quebec fires, but crews were forced to pull back from the hamlet of Clova around 200 miles northwest of Montreal.
