A 'Most Significant Smoke Event' Is Set to Consume NYC

If the Midwest, Northeast, and mid-Atlantic states look a little hazy, it's not your eyes: A vast plume of Canadian and Minnesota wildfire smoke trapped lower to the ground by a heat dome is set to envelop more than 115 million people through Friday, with some of the worst air on the planet, reports the Washington Post. Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis, and New York all ranked among the most polluted major cities in the world late Wednesday into early Thursday—Detroit's air quality index briefly hit 728, eclipsing New York's notorious June 2023 peak of 465.

Hazardous readings have already appeared in parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan, with conditions expected to persist into Friday. In Minnesota, rangers were attempting to evacuate as many as 10,000 individuals out of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, which is nearly the size of Delaware, reports the AP. "It's an arduous job," a Superior National Forest rep says, explaining that both rangers and evacuees often have "to canoe for hours or even carry their boats over land" to get out.

"Unusually hot summer temperatures" are adding to the discomfort, per the AP. The New York Times reports that the mercury is hovering in the high 90s (Fahrenheit) and even surpassing 100 in southern Canada and across much of the US, with the National Weather Service noting it was issuing "major" or "extreme" warnings for heat for nearly 100 million people. NYC forecasters note that if the smoke becomes thicker, it might actually help keep things a little cooler, as the smoke would serve to diffuse the sunlight.

The smoke is now sliding south along the I-95 corridor, dimming skies over Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware, and expected to degrade air in Baltimore, DC, much of Virginia, and sections of North Carolina by Thursday night, per the Post. New York City officials warn this "could become the most significant smoke event" there since 2023 and are distributing free KN95 masks. Health agencies are urging people, especially those with heart or lung issues, to limit exertion outside and keep windows closed. Some relief could come Friday in the Northeast and New England, and Saturday in the mid-Atlantic, but shifting winds may drag smoke back by Sunday—just as the World Cup final kicks off in New Jersey.