![]() ![]() ![]() When forests are dry, they ignite more easily. Some places, such as Sydney, Nova Scotia, recorded their driest April on record. By the end of April, large parts of eastern Canada were abnormally dry, according to the country’s drought monitor. This spring brought the right conditions across parts of the east - namely, low humidity and rainfall, and lots of heat. CIRA/NOAA via APīut under the right conditions, even eastern forests can burn. A satellite image shows smoke drifting south from wildfires burning in Quebec (on the right) and Ontario (on the left) on June 7. Unlike western forests, which are dominated by fire-prone evergreens, eastern forests also have broadleaf deciduous trees, which are less flammable (their branches start higher off the ground and their leaves contain more moisture). The forests out east also tend to be less flammable, Reuters notes. Air coming off the North Atlantic Ocean typically keeps the region humid and cooler, making it less likely to burn, per Reuters. Provinces in the east - including Quebec and Nova Scotia - are somewhat more safeguarded from fires, or at least devastating ones. 2021 was a particularly devastating year, with blazes destroying entire towns. The summer often brings severe wildfires to western Canada, especially as climate change continues to dry out vegetation and heat up the atmosphere. One big question now is whether these fires in Canada will become more common in the years ahead - and what that means for US cities that are not accustomed to smoke. Plus, weather patterns have to be just right to carry the smoke hundreds of miles south into the US. While Canada is, on the whole, prone to wildfires, the fires usually aren’t this severe in the east, especially this early in the year. This situation is both frightening and usual. Roughly 140 fires were burning in the region as of Thursday morning, and many of them had not been contained. The ongoing air quality crisis is likely one of North America’s worst wildfire smoke events in the last two decades.Īcross the eastern seaboard, most of the smoke comes from recent forest fires in Quebec, a Canadian province in the far east that borders Maine. States as far west as Minnesota and as far south as South Carolina have watched their air quality plummet, in some cases reaching record levels of pollution. It’s not only large northeastern cities that are smothered in smoke. New York State Mesonet/University at Albany On Tuesday evening, Wednesday, and Thursday morning, NYC had the worst air quality of any major city in the world. East Coasters finally understand what it’s like to live in California.Įarlier this week, a giant cloud of wildfire smoke from Canada wafted into New York City, Boston, and other eastern metropolises, engulfing skylines and putting millions of people at risk from air pollution. ![]()
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