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NDTV
04-08-2025
- Climate
- NDTV
Smoke From Canada's Wildfires Triggers Health Scare In US
As Canada battles its second-worst wildfire season on record, thick clouds of smoke drifted across the border, blanketing parts of the Midwest and Northeast US. Skies turned hazy, compromising the visibility. Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota experienced concerning levels of air pollution this weekend. Parts of Illinois and Indiana were also under air quality alerts, with authorities urging people to stay indoors or limit time spent outdoors, NPR reported. In the Northeast, states including New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine are seeing smoke-related pollution, and officials warned residents against venturing outdoors. The way wind moves through the atmosphere is making smoke from Canada's wildfires travel to the US, National Weather Service Lead Forecaster Bob Oravec told NPR. The wind is blowing at many levels of the atmosphere, and in many cases, it's blowing in the same direction, he said. As the wildfire smoke rises, it gets caught in these winds and is carried along, just like how a leaf gets blown by the wind, he explained. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) on Friday announced the statewide air quality alert and mentioned it would remain in effect until Monday, August 4, at noon. The smoke is expected to reach New York City on Monday, NBC reported. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the region is currently between 101 and 150, which falls under the 'Orange' category. According to the Pollution Control Board, this level of air pollution is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups. Those at higher risk are senior citizens above 65, children under the age of 14, people with respiratory conditions such as asthma or bronchitis, and pregnant women. The smoke from Canada's hundreds of wildfires is the primary cause of the pollution. This marks the state's longest air quality alert since 2008, according to Minnesota Public Radio (MPR). The entire duration of the alert is likely to be seven days. The country has recorded almost 4,000 wildfires already this year.
Time of India
04-08-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
Canada wildfire: Thick smoke chokes Midwest, Northeast US; air alerts widen
Thick smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires drifted across the border, causing hazy conditions over parts of the Midwest and northeastern United States on Sunday. According to government records, Canada is experiencing its second-worst wildfire season, with nearly 4,000 fires documented this year, NPR reported. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The cross-border smoke has impacted air quality across several US states. Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota experienced concerning air quality levels this weekend. Air quality alerts were issued for parts of Illinois and Indiana. Authorities in New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine advised residents to reduce outdoor activities due to smoke pollution. Bob Oravec, National Weather Service Lead Forecaster, told NPR that current wind patterns are facilitating the movement of polluted air from Canada into the US. "Air is moving at all levels and a lot of times it'll move in the same direction through the whole depth of the atmosphere, so the smoke is rising into the winds and the winds just transport it downstream, like anything — like a leaf getting blown," Oravec explained. Minnesota's Pollution Control Agency extended its statewide air quality alert until noon on Monday, August 4th. According to Minnesota Public Radio, the state is experiencing its longest air quality alert since the agency began issuing alerts in 2008, expected to last seven days. Some areas of Minnesota saw improved conditions on Sunday. Earlier in the weekend, the agency predicted the air quality index (AQI) would reach the severe "red" level statewide, considered unhealthy for all residents. The Pollution Control Agency stated that even healthy individuals might experience symptoms including eye irritation, coughing, or breathing difficulties. They warned of more severe impacts for others. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Sensitive or more exposed individuals may experience more serious health effects, including worsening of existing heart or lung disease and respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, possibly leading to an asthma attack, heart attack, or stroke," according to the Pollution Control Agency statement. Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources extended air quality alerts until noon on Monday, August 4th, primarily in southeastern counties. Michigan officials also extended alerts across all counties through Monday. The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre reported over 700 active fires across Canada on Sunday, predominantly in southern Manitoba, north of Minnesota. Over 500 fires remain uncontrolled, forcing thousands of Canadians to evacuate. Canada has faced wildfires throughout the year. Two individuals perished in a southeastern Manitoba wildfire in May. Similar smoke conditions affected the US in June. Oravec suggests poor air quality could persist in US regions. "It looks like that pattern maintains itself going forward through this week, so it doesn't really appear to be any big break. There may be a day or so where there's a temporary break to it, but overall it looks like there is potential for additional smoke to be transported southeastward into the United States," he said. On Sunday afternoon, IQAir ranked Detroit, Chicago, and Minneapolis among the US cities with the most polluted air.
Mint
03-08-2025
- Climate
- Mint
Canada Wildfires Worsen Air Quality Across Midwest, Northeast US
(Bloomberg) -- Smoke and grit from hundreds of forest fires have spread across large parts of Canada and the northern US, sending air quality across the Midwest and northeast US and Toronto to unhealthy levels. Air quality deteriorated to moderate in Chicago early Sunday with some areas unhealthy for sensitive groups, and to unhealthy in Milwaukee and downtown Toronto, Canada's largest city, according to Alerts were raised across Canada from the Northwest Territories to Quebec, as well as in 10 US states from Minnesota to Maine, including Upstate and western New York. With weather patterns expected to hold steady, there is little chance of immediate relief, forecasters noted. 'The overall flow is still out of the west; it doesn't look like it is going to change much overall,' said Bob Oravec, a senior branch forecaster with the US Weather Prediction Center. 'It goes out through the week.' More than 730 forest fires are raging across Canada with at least 210 out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. The smoke from the blazes, which have consumed 6.6 million hectares (16.3 million acres), have often drifted south in the US at various times this spring and summer, including casting a pall over the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago on Friday. In recent years, the massive smoke clouds drifting from Canadian fires have triggered a series of emergencies across the eastern US, and at one point turned Manhattan's skies an apocalyptic orange. The smoke has crossed the Atlantic at times, clouding European skies and dropping soot across the Arctic. Scientists are looking into whether the smoke is contributing to melting ice there and rising temperatures. Steady wind out of the northwest will keep the smoke drifting into the US for at least the coming week, Oravec said. The conditions that broke the hot, humid weather across the eastern US are also partially to blame for the spreading smoke, he said. Temperatures in New York's Central Park, for instance, dropped from the mid to high 90sF last week to just 80F Saturday, the National Weather Service said. Oravec said until the fires are extinguished, there will likely be continued rounds of smoke and ash drifting south. More stories like this are available on
Newsweek
01-08-2025
- Climate
- Newsweek
Map Shows Flash Flood Threat Affecting Millions on Friday
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologists have warned that millions of people across three states are at risk for heavy rain that could lead to flash floods on Friday. Why It Matters On Thursday, torrential rain pummeled the Northeast, prompting the governors of New York and New Jersey to declare states of emergency as flash floods overwhelmed busy roads at peak travel time. Now, although much of the U.S. is expecting some sort of rainfall on Friday, the heaviest downpours are shifting south. What To Know On Thursday night, the NWS posted a map on Facebook showing the main weather threats, which included flash floods, facing the U.S. on Friday. "Scattered thunderstorms and heavy rainfall are expected to bring the potential for flooding across the Carolinas, Southern Plains, and the front-range of the Rockies on Friday," the post said. "Fire weather concerns will persist in the northwestern Great Basin on Friday due to isolated dry thunderstorms. Air quality will continue to be impacted through Saturday in the Midwest due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires." A map from the National Weather Service shows the most likely areas for flash flooding on Friday are in Texas and the Carolinas. A map from the National Weather Service shows the most likely areas for flash flooding on Friday are in Texas and the Carolinas. National Weather Service According to the map, all of South Carolina, much of North Carolina and east-central Texas had the highest risk of seeing rainfall heavy enough to cause flash floods. Meanwhile, rain and thunderstorms are expected across the Pacific Northwest, central U.S., South and Northeast. Despite the forecast, the only flash flood warning in place on Friday morning around 10:30 a.m. Eastern time was for the Tulsa, Oklahoma, forecast region. Bob Oravec, the lead forecaster at the NWS Weather Prediction Center, told Newsweek that heavy rain could begin in the Carolinas in the early afternoon, with thunderstorms peaking between 6 to 8 p.m. In Texas, the storms are expected to begin later in the night and peak around 3 or 4 a.m. Saturday. "The risk has definitely pressed southward from where it was yesterday," Oravec said. "Right now, there's really not much on the radar, but as the afternoon goes on there's a frontal boundary that's lying across central southern North Carolina into northern South Carolina that will be the focusing mechanism for the thunderstorms this afternoon." What People Are Saying A National Weather Service forecast issued on Friday said: "A front extending from the southern Mid-Atlantic southwestward to the Southern Plains will move southward to northern Florida westward across the Gulf Coast and then northwestward across Texas to the Southern High Plains by Sunday. "The front will trigger showers and thunderstorms, accompanied by heavy rain, over parts of the southern Mid-Atlantic. ... The associated heavy rain will primarily create localized areas of flash flooding, with urban areas, roads, small streams, and low-lying areas being the most vulnerable." The forecast continued: "Additionally, showers and thunderstorms with heavy rain will develop along and near the boundary over parts of the Southern Plains and Southern High Plains. Therefore, the WPC has issued a Slight Risk (level 2/4) of excessive rainfall over two areas of the Southern Plains and Southern High Plains through Saturday morning. The associated heavy rain will primarily create localized areas of flash flooding, with urban areas, roads, small streams, and low-lying areas being the most vulnerable." What Happens Next Rain is expected to continue across the U.S. throughout the weekend. Residents in the high-risk areas should monitor local weather guidance as the storms arrive.
Scientific American
21-07-2025
- Climate
- Scientific American
‘Corn Sweat' Is Making This Heat Wave Even Worse
Heat and humidity will once again smother the eastern half of the country this week, pushing the heat index to dangerous levels for tens of millions of people. In the Midwest, the humidity will be boosted by a phenomenon called 'corn sweat.' It's midsummer, so heat and humidity are pretty standard in the wetter eastern half of the country. It's unlikely this heat wave will break records, but it could still be dangerous, says Bob Oravec, lead forecaster with the National Weather Service in College Park, Md. On Monday the heat and humidity are centered over the Southeast and along the Gulf Coast. By midweek it will move northward along the Mississippi Valley and up into the Midwest before shifting toward the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast toward the end of the week. Highs are expected to be around 95 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit as the heat wave moves along, but the humidity means it could feel closer to 110 degrees F in the worst-affected areas. Large swaths of the eastern U.S. will be in the 'major' Heat Risk category, a NWS classification that incorporates heat, humidity and data on when heat-related hospitalizations tend to rise in a given area. Pockets will be in the 'extreme' category, the highest on the four-category scale. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. Part of the reason for the oppressive humidity is that 'the weather pattern has been favorable for wet weather,' Oravec says. 'Everything is wet, saturated,' which means there is more evaporation from soil and transpiration from plants. This is particularly true in the Midwest, where huge fields of corn, soybeans and other crops release moisture as the temperature climbs. The process is akin to how humans perspire in the heat, hence the nickname 'corn sweat.' 'The Midwest is famous for high dewpoints from the vegetation,' Oravec says. Plants aside, the phenomenon has serious implications for humans. High humidity and heat raise the risks for heat illness —it is harder for the body to cool itself via sweating because the air is already so full of moisture that perspiration doesn't evaporate. Those concerns are especially high for at-risk groups such as young children, older adults, those who have various health conditions or take certain medications, people who work outdoors and the unhoused. Prolonged exposure to such conditions can result in heat exhaustion, which can cause fatigue, dizziness, nausea and a cessation of sweating. If a person with this condition doesn't get to a cooler location or receive treatment quickly, heat exhaustion can progress to heat stroke, which causes the body to lose its ability to cool itself, an extremely dangerous situation. In fact, it can be fatal. Experts caution people to stay hydrated and avoid strenuous outdoor activity, especially in the middle of the day when temperatures are highest. There are also tips for keeping your home cool. These concerns will linger both in the short and long term. In the long term, heat waves are becoming hotter and happening more frequently than in the past because of the added heat trapped by greenhouse gases in the atmosphere as a result of humans' burning fossil fuels. An analysis by the nonprofit Climate Central found that this human-caused climate change made this extreme heat event at least three times more likely for nearly 160 million people, almost half of the U.S. population. In the short term, weather models show humid heat over the eastern U.S. for the next week or two. 'The weather pattern is just kind of stagnant and is stuck,' Oravec says. 'It looks like it's going to be a hot few weeks.'
