Smoke spread from the forest fire in Canada

Smoke from a Canadian wildfire spread across the central and eastern US on Thursday, disrupting air travel as well as work and school routines for the second day in a row.

Millions of people woke up to air pollution from the fires in cities including New York, Philadelphia and Washington, prompting them to don masks similar to those used during the coronavirus emergency. New York’s air quality was again the worst among major global cities, according to the IQAir World Air Quality Index.

President Joe Biden said in a statement that the US environmental regulator is “continually” monitoring air quality across the country.

“This morning, millions of Americans are experiencing the effects of smoke from devastating wildfires in Canada, another stark reminder of the effects of climate change,” the president said.

Biden said he had directed the National Interagency Fire Center to assist the Canadian government with any requests for more firefighters and aerial tankers.

Canada has been battling an active fire season for the past month across most of its 10 provinces and territories. According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, more than 400 fires were active across Canada this week, having burned nearly 4 million hectares so far this year.

Biden on Wednesday offered Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “additional support” in response to the fires.

Incoming flights to New York’s LaGuardia Airport and Philadelphia International Airport were halted at one point on Thursday because of the smoke. Ground stops and delays mainly disrupted flights from the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Ohio. All flights nationwide were delayed at Newark Liberty International Airport.

“Low visibility from wildfire smoke will continue to affect air travel today,” the Federal Aviation Administration said.

The National Weather Service said the smoke will push south and west on Friday, worsening air quality in Alabama and Georgia.

New York City schools said students would take lessons remotely on Friday. In Washington, the White House said it would postpone a Pride event on the South Lawn until Saturday. People in the nation’s capital were warned to avoid outdoor activities.

Earlier this spring, fires in Canada’s main oil-producing province of Alberta forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes and caused more than a dozen oil and gas companies to temporarily shut down or cease operations. Made More blazes have now taken hold in forests in eastern provinces such as Quebec.

Scientists have observed an increase in the intensity of fires in the northern hemisphere’s boreal forests over the past decade. Global warming has resulted in average temperatures rising faster in the north of the planet than closer to the equator, as the reflective ice and snow of the Arctic melt.

Last month ranked as the second warmest May on record globally, according to the Copernicus EU Observation Service. Heat records have been broken in parts of Asia, particularly in China and Vietnam, where unusually hot weather began months earlier than the normal July and August summer. Parts of Siberia also set all-time records last week.

Sea surface temperatures were the highest on record for the month.

The El Nino phenomenon, which results in a warming effect in the Pacific Ocean, was officially declared on Thursday National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Meteorologists expect the weather system to increase global temperatures, potentially leading to a record warm year in 2023, and contribute to extreme conditions such as fires, droughts, floods and hurricanes.