This week, smoggy air from the Canadian wildfires has returned to the United States. Although there are about 900 wildfires burning across Canada, this week’s smoke will come from the west of the country.
Several regions, including the Midwest, the Great Lakes, central Tennessee, North Carolina, and the Northeast, received air quality alerts.
Several cities were reporting high values of the Air Quality Index by 5 a.m. Eastern time on Monday: 158 in Buffalo, 155 in Chicago, and 142 in Nashville. The air pollution index ranges from 0 to 500; the higher the number, the more air pollution there is. A.Q.I. values of 201 or more are regarded as extremely unhealthy.
According to AirNow, a website sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which monitors air quality across the nation, unhealthy conditions are anticipated for upstate New York on Monday.
Health warnings for the state of New York’s air quality on Monday were issued. According to AirNow, the prediction is predicted to result in “unhealthy for all” conditions in the region nearest to the Canadian border. Conditions will become “unhealthy for sensitive groups” in other regions of the state.
“Canadian wildfire smoke will remain in the picture through Tuesday as northwesterly winds aloft that originate out of the Canadian Prairies continues to direct more smoke into the Lower 48,” the Weather Service was quoted as saying by the media.
Early this month, smoke-related air pollution reached dangerous levels in so many US cities that records were broken. All throughout, from Minnesota and Indiana to parts of the Mid-Atlantic and the South, it was occasionally dangerous to breathe.
Source : First Post