Latest news with #MarcChenard
New York Times
2 days ago
- Climate
- New York Times
Large Area of U.S. Braces for Another Day of Severe Weather
After a round of severe weather on Saturday, more thunderstorms are forecast to bring damaging winds, heavy rain, large hail and potentially a few tornadoes across a broad slice of the central and eastern United States on Sunday and Monday. 'It is going to be a fairly active pattern,' said Marc Chenard, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center. 'Severe weather with large areas of locally heavy rainfall in June is pretty typical.' On Sunday, thunderstorms are possible in an area stretching from New Mexico to Pennsylvania, but they're most likely to occur across the Southern Plains and into Arkansas, Louisiana and Missouri. Southwest Oklahoma and northern Texas fall within the bull's-eye of the highest risk. Lashing winds up to 100 miles per hour, hail larger than baseballs and a few tornadoes could all be in the mix. People living in Dallas, Fort Worth and Plano, Texas, as well as Oklahoma City are advised to keep an eye out for weather warnings. The storms are expected to develop in the mid- to-late afternoon in the Southern Plains and then quickly push east and southeastward. The threat of severe weather will persist in parts of Texas and Oklahoma into the evening and overnight hours. Active weather is also predicted across parts of the East Coast. 'There will be thunderstorms anywhere from Georgia up into the Mid-Atlantic and the main threat with that will be strong winds,' Mr. Chenard said. The thunderstorms are expected to be 'efficient rainfall producers,' the Weather Prediction Center said, with the highest threat for flash flooding across the Southern Plains. A portion of the Mid-Atlantic could also see heavy rainfall on Sunday. On Monday, there's a continued chance for thunderstorms between the Southern Plains and East Coast, but the focus of the greatest threat will shift into the Southeast, the Ohio Valley and the central Appalachians. . 'The main threat will probably be the wind again with the possibility of some hail and maybe a tornado,' Mr. Chenard said. After Monday, the chance for thunderstorms is likely to continue but the threat of severe weather may lessen.
India Today
6 days ago
- Climate
- India Today
Canadian wildfire smoke spreads across a third of US, worsens air quality
Smoke from wildfires burning in Canada spread across nearly one-third of the United States on Wednesday, according to forecasters. Most areas didn't face serious air quality issues, but some parts of New England, New York state, and the Midwest faced unhealthy haze, which brought hazardous levels of particulate pollution to Minnesota a day earlier, stretched from the Dakotas through the Ohio Valley, into the Northeast and as far south as Georgia, according to the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Centre in College Park, Maryland. It was especially thick in New York and New of the smoke is aloft in the upper atmosphere, so in a lot of areas there aren't air quality issues," said Marc Chenard of the National Weather Service. "But there are air quality issues as far south as New York and Connecticut, where it's thicker and in the lower atmosphere."CANADA BATTLES MASSIVE FIRES The smoke originated from hundreds of wildfires burning in Canada since early May. As of Tuesday, more than 212 fires were active across the country, with half of them out of control, said the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. The worst fires are in the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. So far, 2 million hectares (or 4.9 million acres) have warned that smoke can be harmful to health. Yang Liu, an environmental health professor at Emory University in Atlanta, said, "It will affect everyone at some level, all walks of life. It's bad." He explained that the smoke contains tiny toxic particles -- smaller than 1/40th of a human hair -- that can enter the lungs and even reach the quality is worst in Williamstown, Massachusetts, near the borders of Vermont and New York. The town recorded a "very unhealthy" score of 228, according to IQAir, which tracks global air quality. A score below 50 is considered good, while anything above 100 is considered quality levels in some parts of the Midwest had also improved on Wednesday morning. Ely, near Minnesota's border with Manitoba, registered a "moderate" reading of 65, down from 336 on Tuesday. Minneapolis, which was ranked as the third-worst city in the world for air quality on Tuesday, with a 168 reading, registered at inputs from Reuters
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Canadian Wildfire Smoke Spreads Impacting Air Quality for Millions Across Eastern and Midwest U.S.
There were 203 active wildfires in Canada — with 102 of them deemed as 'out of control.' Air quality alerts went into effect starting on June 4 at 11 a.m. and through 11 p.m. for New York City, New Jersey and a majority of Connecticut The smoke that covered most of Minnesota was reported to be the worst air quality in the state since 2023The ongoing Canadian wildfires have reportedly blanketed a third of the United States, affecting millions, with the National Weather Service issuing air quality alerts for several states. According to the latest figures from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, as of Wednesday, June 4, there were 203 active wildfires in Canada, with 102 of them deemed as 'out of control.' Over 27,000 Canadians in three provinces have evacuated from their homes due to the blazes, the Associated Press reported. Air quality alerts went into effect starting on Wednesday at 11 a.m. and through 11 p.m. for New York City, New Jersey, as well as a majority of Connecticut, according to The New York Times, due to the smoke from the fires. 'When pollution levels are elevated, the New York State Department of Health recommends that individuals consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity to reduce the risk of adverse health Effects,' according to the National Weather Service air quality alert for New York City and Westchester and Rockland counties. 'People who may be especially sensitive to the effects of elevated levels of pollutants include the very young, and those with preexisting respiratory problems such as asthma or heart disease,' the alert reads. 'Those with symptoms should consider consulting their personal physician.' Marc Chenard with the National Weather Service told Reuters that much of the smoke, which the outlet reported has spread to one-third of the U.S., is "aloft in the upper atmosphere, so in a lot of areas there aren't air quality issues. But there are air quality issues as far south as New York and Connecticut, where it's thicker and in the lower atmosphere." Meanwhile, the air quality index for parts of Illinois, Michigan, Kansas and Missouri has ranged from 'unhealthy for sensitive groups' to 'unhealthy,' as of early Wednesday afternoon, according to AirNow. The air quality index for other parts of the East and Midwest was deemed "moderate." The smoke that covered most of Minnesota was reported to be the worst air quality in the state since 2023, according to Minnesota Public Radio. An air quality alert for southern, central, north central, and northeast parts of the state went into effect on Tuesday, June 3, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency reported. 'As the smoke continues to move across the state Tuesday, air quality will slowly improve from northwest to southeast for the remainder of the alert area,' the agency said. 'The smoke is expected to leave the state by Wednesday [June 4] at noon.' The Environmental Protection Agency said that particle pollution — consisting of a mixture of solid and liquid droplets in the air — is a major part of wildfire smoke, "and the principal public health threat.' 'Individuals at greater risk of health effects from wildfire smoke include those with cardiovascular or respiratory disease, older adults, children under 18 years of age, pregnant women, outdoor workers, and those of lower socio-economic status,' the EPA added. The smoke from the Canadian wildfires has even been reported to spread to Europe, resulting in hazy skies but not enough to impact surface-air quality, said European climate service Copernicus, according to the AP. Read the original article on People
Al Jazeera
6 days ago
- Climate
- Al Jazeera
Canadian wildfire smoke spreads across a third of United States
Smoke from wildfires burning in three Canadian provinces has covered about a third of the United States, forecasters said, but had little effect on air quality except in New England and parts of New York state and the Midwest. Alerts were issued on Tuesday for parts of Canada and the neighbouring US, warning of the haze, which brought hazardous levels of particulate pollution to Minnesota, stretched from the Dakotas through the Ohio Valley, into the Northeast and as far south as Georgia, according to the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. It was especially thick in New York and New England. 'Much of the smoke is aloft in the upper atmosphere, so in a lot of areas, there aren't air quality issues,' said the National Weather Service's Marc Chenard on Wednesday. 'But there are air quality issues as far south as New York and Connecticut, where it's thicker and in the lower atmosphere.' Scores of wildfires have spread across Canada since the start of May. More than 212 active fires were burning in the country as of Tuesday afternoon, half of which were out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. So far, 2 million hectares (4.9 million acres) have burned. Most of the fires were in the west-central provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. A water tanker air base was consumed by flames in Saskatchewan province, oil production has been disrupted in Alberta, and officials warned of worse to come, with more communities threatened each day. 'We have some challenging days ahead of us,' Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe told a news conference, adding that the number of evacuees could rise quickly. Yang Liu, a professor of environmental health at Emory University in Atlanta, said infants, the elderly and other frail people were most susceptible to the smoke, but emphasised that everyone is at risk. 'It will affect everyone at some level, all walks of life,' Liu said. 'It's bad.' He said the smoke is comprised of small particles, some of them toxic, that are smaller than 1/40th of the width of a human hair and can get into the lungs and even dissolve into the bloodstream. One of the worst spots for air quality in the northeastern US on Wednesday morning was Williamstown, Massachusetts, near the state's borders with Vermont and New York. It registered a 'very unhealthy' reading of 228, according to IQAir, a website that monitors air quality around the world. An air quality rating of below 50 is considered to be 'good,' and readings between 100 and 300 are deemed 'unhealthy' to 'very unhealthy,' while higher than that is considered 'hazardous,' according to the website. The ratings in other parts of the US Northeast were much lower, with New York City's standing at 56 on Wednesday morning and Washington's registering at 55. Air quality levels in some parts of the Midwest had also improved on Wednesday morning. Ely, near Minnesota's border with Manitoba, registered a 'moderate' reading of 65, down from 336 on Tuesday. Minneapolis, which had ranked as the third-worst city in the world for air quality on Tuesday, with a 168 reading, was registering at 96.
GMA Network
6 days ago
- Climate
- GMA Network
Canadian wildfire smoke spreads across a third of US
Smoke from wildfires burning in three Canadian provinces covered about a third of the US on Wednesday, forecasters said, but had little effect on air quality except in New England and parts of New York state and the Midwest. The haze, which brought hazardous levels of particulate pollution to Minnesota a day earlier, stretched from the Dakotas through the Ohio Valley, into the Northeast and as far south as Georgia, according to the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. It was especially thick in New York and New England. "Much of the smoke is aloft in the upper atmosphere, so in a lot of areas there aren't air quality issues," said the National Weather Service's Marc Chenard. "But there are air quality issues as far south as New York and Connecticut where it's thicker and in the lower atmosphere." Scores of wildfires have spread across Canada since the start of May. More than 212 active fires were burning in the country as of Tuesday afternoon, half of which were out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center. So far, 2 million hectares (4.9 million acres) have burned. Most of the fires were in the west-central provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Yang Liu, a professor of environmental health at Emory University in Atlanta, said infants, the elderly and other frail people were most susceptible to the smoke, but emphasized that everyone is at risk. "It will affect everyone at some level, all walks of life," Liu said. "It's bad." He said the smoke is comprised of small particles, some of them toxic, that are smaller than 1/40th of the width of a human hair and can get into the lungs and even dissolve into the bloodstream. One of the worst spots for air quality in the US Northeast on Wednesday morning was Williamstown, Massachusetts, near the state's borders with Vermont and New York. It registered a "very unhealthy" reading of 228, according to IQAir, a website that monitors air quality around the world. An air quality rating of below 50 is considered to be "good," and readings between 100 and 300 are deemed "unhealthy" to "very unhealthy," while higher than that is considered "hazardous," according to the website. The ratings in other parts of the US Northeast were much lower, with New York City's standing at 56 on Wednesday morning and Washington's registering at 55. Air quality levels in some parts of the Midwest had also improved on Wednesday morning. Ely, near Minnesota's border with Manitoba, registered a "moderate" reading of 65, down from 336 on Tuesday. Minneapolis, which had ranked as third-worst city in the world for air quality on Tuesday, with a 168 reading, was registering at 96. — Reuters
