2023 United States East Coast wildfire smoke

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Satellite imagery showing a large expanse of smoke (brown-grey mass near the center) moving southeast over the New York metropolitan area midday on June 7, 2023

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Smoke over the Northeast US on June 7, 2023.

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Empire State Building on June 7

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Part of Midtown Manhattan from 30 Rockefeller Plaza at 3:20 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time June 7. The gold New York Life Building pyramid 1.2 miles (1.9 km) away is faintly visible in the left background

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Some of New York City (specifically parts of Brooklyn and the East River) photographed from Lower Manhattan (1:53 p.m. June 7)

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A red sun (a phenomenon more familiar in the Western U.S.), as viewed from Owego, New York, near the southern midpoint of New York state

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The Delaware River during the late afternoon of June 7; Ewing Township, NJ is on the right, and Lower Makefield Township, PA is to the left

On June 6, 2023, 20 U.S. states began experiencing intense wildfire smoke from numerous wildfires in Central Canada. The smoke prompted numerous school closures and public health advisories due to the dangers of smoke inhalation, and affected businesses and delayed flights.

Timeline

June 5–6: Initial drift

The smoke from wildfires in Quebec drifted into the Northeastern United States on June 5 and 6. Air quality alerts were triggered for most of New York, Connecticut, and some of the surrounding states, as well as the Midwestern states of Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin. According to pollution-tracking company IQAir, by the night of June 6, New York City had the worst air pollution of any major city in the world.

June 7: Spread and maximum intensity

By the morning of June 7, air quality alerts also went out to residents in the Delaware Valley in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, and to additional areas in New England. In Syracuse, New York, the air quality index (AQI) surpassed 400. Air quality in Northern Virginia declined on June 7, resulting in cancellation of outdoor recess by Fairfax County Public Schools that afternoon and recommendations for the young, the elderly and people with heart or lung conditions to avoid strenuous outdoor activities. New York City had an AQI of 484 at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 7, which is the highest level on record in the city since the major smog incident of 1966.

June 8: Move southward

The morning of June 8, New Castle County, Delaware registered a hazardous air quality index (AQI) of 300-500. This was some of the worst air quality that the state has experienced.

Conditions in the Mid-Atlantic improved as the most intense remnants of the smoke moved towards the upper American South, where the impact was not expected to be as severe. To date at least 48 million Americans had been exposed in unprecedented fashion to air quality ranging from unhealthy to hazardous, a circumstance bruited as the "new normal" given climate change.

Impact

Flights

Several flights to and from New York City, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. were either delayed or cancelled; by the afternoon of June 7, the Federal Aviation Administration halted all flights going to LaGuardia Airport in New York City, citing visibility concerns.

Shipping

On June 9, the National Weather Service issued a rare Dense Smoke Advisory covering New York Harbor and Sandy Hook, NJ to Fire Island Inlet, NY out to 20 nautical miles (37 km), citing visibility of 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) or less. "If you must navigate, proceed with caution. Use proper fog signals. Make sure all running lights are on. Remember to use your radar and compass."

Broadway

The smoke has forced shows and plays on Broadway to close. Playwright Suzie Miller stopped a matinée performance of Prima Facie 10 minutes after it began, as the smoke was making it difficult for the play's only cast member Jodie Comer to breathe; Comer's understudy Dani Arlington stepped in to continue the show, and Comer returned for the scheduled evening performance. The musicals Hamilton and Camelot on Broadway and Hamlet in Central Park were also forced to close.

Business effects

Among the businesses affected by the dangerous smoke levels was tech giant Google, which told East Coast employees to work from home rather than go to the office.

School closures

Schools across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut announced closures. Afterwards, education switched to remote learning.

Sports

The Women's National Basketball Association, National Women's Soccer League, Major League Baseball, and New York Racing Association postponed games and races due to the smoke. The WNBA postponed a game set for June 7 at the Barclays Center. The NWSL postponed a match that was part of the Challenge Cup at Red Bull Arena until August. Postponed MLB games included games at Citizens Bank Park, Yankee Stadium, and Nationals Park from June 7 onward. The NYRA cancelled events at Belmont Park and other tracks in the leadup to Saturday's 2023 Belmont Stakes.

Events

A Pride Month event at the White House's South Lawn was postponed to June 10.

Reactions

The government of New York made large quantities of N95 masks available to the public. Four hundred thousand masks were available at state parks and subway stations, while the remainder were distributed by local governments. New York City mayor Eric Adams encouraged residents of the city to remain indoors and wear N95 masks while outside.

The wildfire smoke has encouraged several conspiracy theories, including some associated with QAnon.

In popular culture

Social media users made light of the smoke in reference to an advertisement for Diablo IV (2023) which read, "Welcome to hell, New York". In response, Activision Blizzard COO Lulu Cheng Meservy wrote that the company objects to wildfires and condemns them.

Composer Marc Shaiman penned new lyrics for "Blame Canada", a satirical song from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999), to reference the smoke and advertise Some Like It Hot. The New York Post ran a headline referencing the song.

And the environmental crisis figured into the long-standing rivalry between the West Coast and the East Coast of the U.S., with Californians offering public health advice and one Seattlite remarking on the yawning indifference "...on the part of most New York City brunchlords" to several wildfire seasons in which Seattle "looked like mordor [sic]".

See also

• 1966 New York City smog
• New England's Dark Day, in 1780
• Orange Skies Day (2020, Northern California)
• Fire history
• Wildfire

External links

• Media related to 2023 United States East Coast wildfire smoke at Wikimedia Commons