Nasa has released satellite photographs of smoke from Canadian fires engulfing the sky of the eastern United States, which caused major drops in air quality, airline cancellations, and work interruptions in a number of cities, including New York City and Washington, DC.
The satellite image shows how large amounts of smoke poured into the region from fires in Quebec. “Wildfire smoke from Canada has passed over the northeastern U.S. multiple times each summer in recent years, but it’s usually too high in the atmosphere to notice. While winds typically move smoke from fires in Quebec toward the east, this time, the wind is steering the smoke south,” the US Space Agency tweeted on Thursday. (ALSO READ: Smoke from Canadian wildfires reaches New York City turning it into the most polluted city)
What are the latest updates?
The eastern US sky is becoming clearer on Friday, and air quality is improving. Rain is also anticipated in certain areas on Sunday, which will help to dispel the smoke.
{{/usCountry}}The eastern US sky is becoming clearer on Friday, and air quality is improving. Rain is also anticipated in certain areas on Sunday, which will help to dispel the smoke.
{{/usCountry}}The air quality index in New York City has improved to a moderate level. According to airnow.gov, just a few areas of eastern Maryland and Cape Cod in Massachusetts continue to have dangerous levels of pollution, Bloomberg reported.
What caused such a severe condition in New York?
Since last month, smoke from Canada's wildfires has been drifting into the US. The most recent flames have been blazing for at least several days near Quebec.
Experts say that the smoke moving into the US and affecting severely the eastern regions including New York is due to specific weather conditions.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) meteorologist Brian Jackson explained that there are three factors contributing to this phenomenon:
1) A big swirling system called a low-pressure system over Maine, which is in the northeastern part of the US.
2) Then there is a high-pressure area in the central part of the US. It's like a strong and stable region.
3) Finally, there is a stationary front that stretches from Minnesota all the way down to North Carolina.
"This combination of conditions is literally fanning the flames and funneling the smoke southward," said Jackson.