More than 100 million Americans deal with a smoky Friday night sky
Many Americans are currently choking on the smoke of thick wildfires, but relief may be on the horizon for some as the Fourth of July weekend gets underway. June 30, 2023.
New York City – More than 100 million Americans are currently choking on thick wildfire smoke, but for some there may be relief on the horizon as the Fourth of July weekend gets underway.
The cities with the worst Air Quality Index (AQI) readings Friday night were New York City, along with Wayne County and Angola-on-the-Lake in the Empire State, Mendham in New Jersey and Houston City in Pennsylvania. Each of these cities had an AQI reading of “unhealthy,” the third-worst AQI reading.
Smoke from wildfires in Canada envelops the Statue of Liberty on June 30, 2023 in New York City.
(David Delgado)
The sun rises from a cloud as smoke covers the skyline of Lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center in New York City on June 30, 2023, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey.
(Gary Hirschhorn)
The sun rises from a cloud as smoke covers the skyline of Lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center in New York City on June 30, 2023, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey.
(Gary Hirschhorn)
Smoke obscures the skyline of Lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center as the sun rises in New York City on June 30, 2023, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey.
(Gary Hirschhorn)
The smoky skyline in Atlanta on Friday, June 30, 2023.
(Billy Heath)
The smoky skyline in Atlanta on Friday, June 30, 2023.
(Billy Heath)
Smoke from Canadian wildfires clouds the sky over JFK International Airport on June 30, 2023 in New York City.
(David Delgado)
The smoky skyline in Atlanta on Friday, June 30, 2023.
(Billy Heath)
Wildfire smoke in Albany, New York.
(@NYCRobyn/Twitter)
Sunrise tinted with wildfire smoke in Albany, New York.
(@NYCRobyn/Twitter)
The smoky Cleveland skyline on Friday, June 30, 2023.
(NWS Cleveland)
Smoke from wildfires in Canada obscures the sun as it sets over 42nd Street on June 29, 2023 in New York City.
(Gary Hirschhorn)
Smoke from wildfires in Canada blankets buildings outside midtown Manhattan in Queens in a view seen from the 86th floor of the Empire State Building on June 29, 2023, in New York City.
(Gary Hirschhorn)
Smoke from wildfires in Canada shrouds Hudson Yards and buildings on the west side of midtown Manhattan in a view from the 86th floor of the Empire State Building on June 29, 2023, in New York City.
(Gary Hirschhorn)
Air quality is at unhealthy levels due to smoke from Canadian wildfires in New York, United States on June 29, 2023. Officials have stated that air quality may deteriorate in the coming days.
(Fatih Aktas / Anadolu Agency)
Air quality is at unhealthy levels due to smoke from Canadian wildfires in New York, United States on June 29, 2023. Officials have stated that air quality may deteriorate in the coming days.
(Fatih Aktas / Anadolu Agency)
Air quality is at unhealthy levels due to smoke from Canadian wildfires in New York, United States on June 29, 2023. Officials have stated that air quality may deteriorate in the coming days.
(Fatih Aktas / Anadolu Agency)
Air quality is at unhealthy levels due to smoke from Canadian wildfires in New York, United States on June 29, 2023. Officials have stated that air quality may deteriorate in the coming days.
(Fatih Aktas / Anadolu Agency)
A woman crosses 13th Street in Northwest as smoke from wildfires in Canada renders an amorphous cityscape in Washington, DC.
(Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post)
The Capitol Dome is a hazy shape as seen from Maryland Avenue in the SW as smoke descends from the Canadian wildfires in the area in Washington, DC.
(Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post)
A man and woman stand in the foreground, while a misty, smoky New York City sits in the background. June 29, 2023.
(Fatih Aktas / Anadolu Agency)
Wildfire smoke turns the sky orange over Hubertus, Wisconsin, on Wednesday, June 29, 2023.
(Eileen Wuerman via Storyful)
CHICAGO, Illinois – JUNE 28: Wildfire smoke clouds over the horizon on June 28, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago area is under an air quality alert as smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed the city for the second day in a row.
(Scott Olson)
CHICAGO, Illinois – JUNE 28: Wildfire smoke clouds over the horizon on June 28, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago area is under an air quality alert as smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed the city for the second day in a row.
(Scott Olson)
Poor air quality conditions will continue to move east into the weekend, which means the smoke will continue to clear for many Americans as the weekend gets underway.
Air Quality Tracker: How bad is smoky air in your area?
Some of the hardest hit areas include Michigan and Indiana along with parts of Ohio and Kentucky.
in the northeast, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C.; Maryland, Delaware, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire are subject to the health advisory.
In the Southeast, communities in North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama will be affected through Friday night.
Until the air quality alerts are lifted, health experts have warned individuals at unhealthy air quality levels to limit their outdoor activity to reduce the effects of toxic air.
What to do when fire smoke is crowding out your area, and how to keep your home’s air clean
Sensitive healthy groups may experience wheezing and difficulty breathing.
Relief in sight?
While the smoke will clear as the Fourth of July weekend approaches, air quality concerns will persist, according to the FOX Prediction Center.
“As we get into Saturday morning, you can start to see smoke spattering more with a slight haze in the sky,” said FOX Weather meteorologist Kelly Costa.
The map below tracks wildfire smoke. By Saturday night, most of the Great Lakes region will see clearer, smoke-free skies, while the smoky skies will be along the Atlantic coast.
How smoke moved across the country
Air quality improved significantly Thursday night and Friday for much of Illinois south of Chicago, Indiana and western Ohio and Kentucky after Thursday’s high winds associated with the derecho cleared the atmosphere.
Winds from Dircho did not reach Cleveland, which woke up to smoky skies Friday, as air quality alerts remained in place across northeastern Ohio. Unhealthy air has caused many communities to issue health warnings, and more than 120 million Americans were placed under air quality alerts Thursday.
Air quality alerts were in effect as far south as Atlanta on Friday afternoon as a column of wildfires spread south along the Appalachian Mountains. The air quality there has reached “unhealthy” levels on the Air Quality Index, with readings above 150.
The skyline covered in smoke in Atlanta on Friday, June 30, 2023 (Photo: Billy Heath) (FOX Weather)
Farther north, air quality alerts still covered several states Friday afternoon across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Great Lakes, including all of New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Michigan, West Virginia and New Jersey.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection declared Friday a day of action on air quality due to wildfire smoke and ozone layer pollution.
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