Forest fires in Quebec: smoke envelops New York

An unprecedented situation

There are still nearly 150 active forest fires in Quebec. The collateral effects were felt in major urban centers this week. Now the smoke is reaching the pages of the east coast of the United States. There have already been more than twice as many forest fires this year in Quebec as on average on the same date. This statistic alone is alarming. When we talk about the area affected, the numbers are astronomical. On average, 158 square km of forest are burned each year in Quebec. As of the morning of June 7, more than 4,300 square km of forest had been affected by the fire. This is 27 times more than the average for a full year. The astronomical summer is still more than two weeks away, and we have already reached almost three times the total of the last 10 years!

Lights visible from space

No wonder the smoke is visible from the

International Space Station. In several cities, including Montreal, but especially Gatineau and Ottawa, we barely saw the sun at the start of the week. The sky was covered with a heavy layer of smoke coming from the north. Air quality was affected in several regions. In several areas, the air quality was described as poor, the worst on the measurement scale.

The smoke to the south

An Atlantic depression will approach an anticyclone coming from the west, which will deflect the winds to the southwest. It will therefore be a respite on the smoke side for the eastern and southern sectors of Quebec.

Bad news for Americans

But the news is less good for our neighbors in Ontario and the United States. The American Northeast is already bothered by smoke of our forest fires. Earlier this week, the New York air quality ranked among the worst in the world. These winds will affect other regions. The smoke could descend to the major urban centers of Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, even as far as Charlotte, passing through Pittsburgh. It is therefore more than 50 million Americans who will see their air quality affected over the next few days.

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