logo
Air quality plummets with wildfire smoke blanketing the region

Air quality plummets with wildfire smoke blanketing the region

Boston Globe3 days ago
'The wildfire smoke includes soot particles. They are invisible products of combustion generated by large and numerous fires. They penetrate your system through your lungs,' said Albert Simeoni, head of the department of Fire Protection Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. 'There are also gases generated, such as ozone, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and diverse aromatic compounds, but the particulates are the main risk, and they travel far. All these particulates and gases have health effects.'
Advertisement
The areas most impacted by the smoke stretch across northern New England.
Air quality has reached unhealthy levels on Monday for most of the region.
Boston Globe
Smoke can be seen across New England in satellite imagery below, with the dull gray covering the region. A number of people have written in to mention the smell of campfire in the air.
A blanket of smoke stretches west to east across New England on Monday morning.
NOAA
Canada is experiencing a terrible wildfire season with nearly 4,000 wildfires so far this year, close to a record pace. There are currently 700 active wildfires, with around 200 raging out of control.
At this point last year, about 7 million acres had burned in Canada. This year, it's about 17 million acres and counting.
More than 700 wildfires are burning across Canada, with the smoke reaching New England.
CIFFC
How long can we expect haze across New England?
Our weather pattern will likely keep haze in the picture for the next few days, as high pressure over eastern Canada will direct the smoke plume into the United States, stretching from the Midwest to New England on Tuesday and beyond.
Advertisement
A surface front will help lift some of the smoke on Tuesday, but not entirely, and air quality alerts may remain in place in some areas.
Canadian wildfire smoke continues across New England on Tuesday.
Boston Globe
Beyond Tuesday, smoke will fan and thin out across New England, keeping some haze in the picture as high pressure remains in control, but not as dense near the surface. By the weekend, high pressure will likely dip south of Boston, which will shift the wind direction and clear most of the smoke away.
Ken Mahan can be reached at
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

After deep DOGE cuts, National Weather Service gets OK to fill up to 450 jobs
After deep DOGE cuts, National Weather Service gets OK to fill up to 450 jobs

Los Angeles Times

time9 hours ago

  • Los Angeles Times

After deep DOGE cuts, National Weather Service gets OK to fill up to 450 jobs

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will hire as many as 450 people to shore up the National Weather Service after deep cuts in the spring raised concern about dangerous understaffing, the Trump administration confirmed Wednesday. NOAA was granted permission to fill crucial positions at its weather arm, including openings for meteorologists, hydrologists and electronics technicians, Trump administration officials said. The hirings are part of an exemption to a freeze on federal hiring that is in place through at least Oct. 15. NOAA declined to comment further. The planned hiring was first reported by CNN. President Trump's Department of Government Efficiency has gutted NOAA and the National Weather Service, which are key for the nation's daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, climate monitoring and more. Hundreds of NOAA forecasters and other employees have been laid off, and weather service offices around the country have had a number of vacancies. The administration has also weighed ending the sharing of satellite data that are key to effective storm tracking and stopped tracking the cost of climate change-fueled weather disasters. Meteorologists and climate scientists have warned of consequences with fewer workers in positions that are crucial, especially as the hurricane season got underway. After deadly flash flooding that killed dozens of people in Texas last month, some local officials and Democrats suggested that the deep staffing cuts may have contributed to endangering lives, though others defended the agency's work. Experts cautiously applauded the hiring exemption as positive news. 'While this new development is great news for the NWS and the American public, I would like to see that the hiring actions are actually underway,' said Louis Uccellini, former NOAA administrator for weather services and weather service director. The hirings are said to include the 'mission-critical field positions' that the agency announced it would hire for in June 'to further stabilize front line operations.' The agency did not say at the time how many roles would be filled. St. John writes for the Associated Press.

After deep DOGE cuts, National Weather Service gets OK to fill up to 450 jobs
After deep DOGE cuts, National Weather Service gets OK to fill up to 450 jobs

San Francisco Chronicle​

time11 hours ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

After deep DOGE cuts, National Weather Service gets OK to fill up to 450 jobs

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will hire as many as 450 people to shore up the National Weather Service after deep cuts this spring raised concern about dangerous understaffing, the Trump administration confirmed Wednesday. NOAA was granted permission to fill critical positions at its weather arm, including openings for meteorologists, hydrologists and electronics technicians, Trump administration officials said. The hirings are part of an exemption to a freeze on federal hiring in place through at least Oct. 15. The planned hiring was first reported by CNN. The Department of Government Efficiency has gutted NOAA and the National Weather Service, which are key for the nation's daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, climate monitoring and more. Hundreds of NOAA forecasters and other employees have been cut, and NWS offices around the country have had a number of vacancies. The administration has also weighed ending the sharing of satellite data that is key to effective storm tracking and stopped tracking the cost of climate change-fueled weather disasters. Meteorologists and climate scientists have warned of consequences with fewer workers in positions that are crucial, especially as the hurricane season got underway. After deadly flash flooding that killed dozens of people in Texas last month, some local officials and Democrats suggested that the deep staffing cuts may have contributed to endangering lives, though others defended the agency's work. 'While this new development is great news for the NWS and the American public, I would like to see that the hiring actions are actually underway,' said Louis Uccellini, former NOAA administrator for weather services and NWS director. The hirings are said to include the 'mission-critical field positions' that the agency announced it would hire for in June 'to further stabilize front line operations." The agency did not say at the time how many roles would be filled. ___ Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at ___ ___

After deep DOGE cuts, National Weather Service gets OK to fill up to 450 jobs
After deep DOGE cuts, National Weather Service gets OK to fill up to 450 jobs

Chicago Tribune

time11 hours ago

  • Chicago Tribune

After deep DOGE cuts, National Weather Service gets OK to fill up to 450 jobs

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration will hire as many as 450 people to shore up the National Weather Service after deep cuts this spring raised concern about dangerous understaffing, the Trump administration confirmed Wednesday. NOAA was granted permission to fill critical positions at its weather arm, including openings for meteorologists, hydrologists and electronics technicians, Trump administration officials said. The hirings are part of an exemption to a freeze on federal hiring in place through at least Oct. 15. NOAA declined to comment further. The planned hiring was first reported by CNN. The Department of Government Efficiency has gutted NOAA and the National Weather Service, which are key for the nation's daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, climate monitoring and more. Hundreds of NOAA forecasters and other employees have been cut, and NWS offices around the country have had a number of vacancies. The administration has also weighed ending the sharing of satellite data that is key to effective storm tracking and stopped tracking the cost of climate change-fueled weather disasters. Meteorologists and climate scientists have warned of consequences with fewer workers in positions that are crucial, especially as the hurricane season got underway. After deadly flash flooding that killed dozens of people in Texas last month, some local officials and Democrats suggested that the deep staffing cuts may have contributed to endangering lives, though others defended the agency's work. Experts cautiously applauded the exemption for hirings as positive news. 'While this new development is great news for the NWS and the American public, I would like to see that the hiring actions are actually underway,' said Louis Uccellini, former NOAA administrator for weather services and NWS director. The hirings are said to include the 'mission-critical field positions' that the agency announced it would hire for in June 'to further stabilize front line operations.' The agency did not say at the time how many roles would be filled.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store