Air quality index latest: Canadian wildfire smoke changes route as New York schools and restaurants remain shut

After apocalyptic days of orange haze over New York, the Big Apple’s air index has improved significantly for the time being.

The current situation in New York City was downgraded Wednesday from “dangerous” to “unhealthy for sensitive groups” as smoke from Canada’s wildfires spread further south and west.

The change may be temporary as hundreds of wildfires continue to rage in Quebec and smoke is billowing toward the northeast coast, but for now the air in the city is at its warmest since Monday. Beautiful.

Smoke from raging wildfires in Canada is moving south, covering much of the Midwest and causing “moderate to unhealthy air quality,” the National Weather Service (NWS) said.

“Smoke from Canada’s wildfires continued to be carried south on the wind, resulting in moderate to unhealthy air quality in parts of the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Ohio Valley and Midwest on Friday. This weekend. We expect some improvement in ,” NWS said in a tweet.

Air travel has brought some relief to New York City and parts of the Northeast Coast. But experts say the pollutants are still in the air and could take time to clear.

More than 400 wildfires have broken out across Canada, causing mass evacuations, fire damage and smoke fills across the East Coast of the United States.

The fires ranged from 233 ‘out of control’ fires to 114 ‘under control’ fires, making it unprecedented for a typical Canadian wildfire season.

My colleague Ariana Baio tells me where the wildfires in Canada are happening:

Public schools in New York moved Friday classes to distance learning.

“For Grades 9-12 and Grades 6-12 in School Districts 1-32 and 79, students and staff at these schools will transition to remote instruction from in-person attendance on June 9.” New York City Public Schools tweeted. .

“Additional guidance will be provided to instructional staff shortly,” they added.

Most people can smell wildfire smoke, but some people can taste it, says Kathryn Medler, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Buffalo.

“We have a wide range of taste buds on our tongue,” says Medler. “Children and some adults tend to have more, and may have more sensitive palettes as a result.”

For those who can feel smoke particles, it may have a burnt or cigar-like taste.

You can try it yourself by pinching your nose to see if the taste remains.

President Joe Biden announced Wednesday that more than 600 U.S. firefighters and support personnel and equipment will be deployed to help tackle more than 400 wildfires in Canada.

The president said wildfires were “intensifying because of the climate crisis.”

He also advised Americans hit by dangerous air pollution, especially those with health problems, to take steps to protect themselves.

Restaurants in New York City are temporarily closing as the city faces serious air pollution problems from smoke from wildfires in Canada.

Thick smoke enveloped the city on Wednesday, resulting in a “dangerous” air quality index. People were encouraged to stay indoors as much as possible and wear masks when walking outdoors.

“It didn’t look very good for the employees,” said Stephanie Watanabe, a partner at Coast and Valley. grub street.

Watanabe said people were not interested in sitting outside and hanging out because of the unsafe atmosphere.

Smoke caused several coffee shops and cafes to close more than usual in Brooklyn and remained closed on Thursday.

Other restaurants followed suit to keep employees safe on the day when service was so slow.

The Air Quality Index (AQI), posted on the Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow website, employs a color-coded system to rank air quality on a 500-point scale to provide the general public with an idea of ​​its impact on health. We make it easy to evaluate. ambient air.

Green at the bottom end of the scale represents healthy air, while yellow indicates moderate levels of pollution. The orange, red, and purple upper limits represent unhealthy and dangerous conditions for everyone.

AQI considers key indicators of air pollution, including particulate pollution, ground-level ozone, and gases such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide.

The influx of wildfire smoke from Canada is increasing these dangerous gases, especially a pollutant called PM2.5, into the atmosphere.

These pollutants can have a variety of health effects, often causing respiratory irritation, inflammation, and the possible development of conditions such as asthma and heart disease.

This chart from AirNow shows different levels of alerts and their associated color codes.

Air quality in the US capital remained ‘code red’ early Friday morning after being downgraded from a ‘dangerous’ level in the purple category on Thursday night.

AQI levels near 150 are unhealthy for people, especially vulnerable people.

Air quality is expected to improve a bit more and reach code orange, but it is still unhealthy for those at risk.

The change has caused smoke from the wildfires raging in Canada to move further south and west, worsening air in more cities, but bringing some relief to the northeastern coast. Happened.

Fox News hosts condemned residents of New York and Washington, D.C. for wearing masks after wildfires raged in Canada, blanketing the city in acrid smoke.

Ingraham Angle Host Laura Ingraham, who guested Steve Miloy, a touted former Trump Environmental Protection Agency transition team member, argued that the thick orange smoke that clogged the New York skyline this week was harmless.

“No one is dying from this, no one is coughing. This is not a health event and has nothing to do with the climate,” Miloy claimed.

“Great,” Ingraham replied with a laugh.