Hazy Photos Show Wildfire Smoke Blanketing New York

Canadian wildfire smoke is affecting roughly 55 million people across the eastern United States.
Smoke continues to surround the city as the sun rises behind the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center in New York City on Tuesday as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey.
Smoke continues to surround the city as the sun rises behind the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center in New York City on Tuesday as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey.
Gary Hershorn via Getty Images

A dangerous layer of smoke has enveloped the Northeast and the Midwest of the US as Canada battles roughly 400 wildfires.

With the summer season steadily approaching, it offers a preview of an unprecedented and unwieldy wildfire season as the effects of global warming ramp up.

“Our modeling shows this may be an especially severe wildfire season throughout this summer,” Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said at a press conference on Monday. “This is a scary time for a lot of people.”

The smoke from Canada’s wildfires travelled roughly 500 miles to New York because of a push from a storm system off the coast of Canada, The New York Times reported.

With carbon dioxide levels at an all-time high and wildfire smoke raging through the border, officials recommend that people, especially those with asthma or other respiratory issues, remain indoors or wear a mask outdoors.

The smoke affects roughly 55 million people across the eastern United States.

The National Weather Service’s storm prediction center said Tuesday that “dry thunderstorms” threaten to create “out of control” wildfires in the US.

“People have to prepare for this over the long haul,” New York governor Kathy Hochul warned, according to The New York Times.

“New York City and Syracuse were among the worst places in the entire planet yesterday,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration has paused flights from New York’s La Guardia Airport as visibility worsens, and New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport may be next. Likewise, schools in New York have even canceled outdoor activities for students.

Still, the effects of the smoke have traveled further than New York and New Jersey’s borders. The haze has made its way to the DMV, Indiana and Ohio, according to Air Now, which tracks air-quality data on a map.

See photos of the smoke below.

Hazy skies caused by Canadian wildfires blanket the monuments and skyline of Washington, D.C. on Wednesday as seen from Arlington, Virginia.
Hazy skies caused by Canadian wildfires blanket the monuments and skyline of Washington, D.C. on Wednesday as seen from Arlington, Virginia.
Win McNamee via Getty Images
Tourists walk around the base of the Washington Monument as wildfire smoke casts a haze off the U.S. Capitol on the National Mall on Wednesday.
Tourists walk around the base of the Washington Monument as wildfire smoke casts a haze off the U.S. Capitol on the National Mall on Wednesday.
Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
A passenger wearing a face mask rides the Staten Island Ferry past the Manhattan skyline during heavy smog in New York on Tuesday.
A passenger wearing a face mask rides the Staten Island Ferry past the Manhattan skyline during heavy smog in New York on Tuesday.
ED JONES via Getty Images
The Downtown Manhattan skyline stands shrouded in a reddish haze as a result of Canadian wildfires on Tuesday.
The Downtown Manhattan skyline stands shrouded in a reddish haze as a result of Canadian wildfires on Tuesday.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Heavy smoke fills the air as people cross 34th Street in Herald Square on Tuesday in New York City.
Heavy smoke fills the air as people cross 34th Street in Herald Square on Tuesday in New York City.
Gary Hershorn via Getty Images
Heavy smoke blankets buildings around Times Square in a view looking north from the Empire State Building as the sun sets on Tuesday in New York City.
Heavy smoke blankets buildings around Times Square in a view looking north from the Empire State Building as the sun sets on Tuesday in New York City.
Gary Hershorn via Getty Images
Smoke from wildfires in Nova Scotia envelopes Washington Street in Wrentham, Massachusetts, on Tuesday.
Smoke from wildfires in Nova Scotia envelopes Washington Street in Wrentham, Massachusetts, on Tuesday.
John Tlumacki/Boston Globe via Getty Images
Smoke from wildfires in Canada blankets the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.
Smoke from wildfires in Canada blankets the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.
LEAH MILLIS via Reuters
The sun as it rises in a hazy, smoky sky in New York City on Wednesday.
The sun as it rises in a hazy, smoky sky in New York City on Wednesday.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Lower Manhattan is barely visible as heavy smoke cloaks Manhattan in a view looking south from the Empire State Building as the sun sets on Tuesday.
Lower Manhattan is barely visible as heavy smoke cloaks Manhattan in a view looking south from the Empire State Building as the sun sets on Tuesday.
Gary Hershorn via Getty Images
A passenger wearing a face mask rides the Staten Island Ferry past the Manhattan skyline during heavy smog in New York on Tuesday.
A passenger wearing a face mask rides the Staten Island Ferry past the Manhattan skyline during heavy smog in New York on Tuesday.
ED JONES via Getty Images
A man wears a face mask as smoke continues to cloud the sun as it rises behind the skyline of Manhattan in New York City on Wednesday as seen from Weehawken, New Jersey.
A man wears a face mask as smoke continues to cloud the sun as it rises behind the skyline of Manhattan in New York City on Wednesday as seen from Weehawken, New Jersey.
Kena Betancur/VIEWpress/Getty Images
Canada geese are pictured along the Hudson River shortly after sunrise, as haze and smoke caused by wildfires in Canada hang over the Manhattan skyline in New York City on Wednesday.
Canada geese are pictured along the Hudson River shortly after sunrise, as haze and smoke caused by wildfires in Canada hang over the Manhattan skyline in New York City on Wednesday.
MIKE SEGAR via Reuters
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