Smoke hangs over U.S. Midwest, East, hurting air quality
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[June 29, 2023]
By Brendan O'Brien and Kanishka Singh
CHICAGO/
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Hazy, smoke-filled skies from raging
Canadian wildfires hovered Wednesday over the U.S. Midwest and East,
where millions of Americans were urged to limit outdoor activities as
the poor air quality made for dangerous, unhealthy conditions.
Much of the Midwest - from western Iowa through Illinois and Wisconsin
and into Michigan and Ohio - was under an air quality alert expected to
last into Thursday or even longer, the National Weather Service said.
Air quality alerts triggered by drifting smoke from prolonged wildfires
in Canada were also in effect for New York state, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C. and parts of North Carolina. In all, more
than 100 million Americans were dealing with poor air quality on
Wednesday afternoon.
Forecasters urged people living in those areas, especially children, the
elderly and those affected by respiratory illness, to limit prolonged or
heavy exertion and, if possible, to stay indoors or wear a mask.
Canada is wrestling with its worst-ever start to wildfire season, which
has already burned 8 million hectares (19.8 million acres), an area
bigger than West Virginia. On Wednesday, there were 477 active blazes,
about half which were considered out control, spread from the Pacific to
the Atlantic coasts.
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Canada's biggest city of Toronto had the worst air of all major cities
in the world on Wednesday afternoon, according to pollution tracking
service IQAir.
An eerie smoke-induced fog hung over Chicago, washing out the summer
sun, and the air smelled of wood smoke. The city's air quality was
categorized as "very unhealthy" by AirNow.gov
By midday, the worst air quality in the United States was detected in
Decatur, Illinois, about 180 miles (290 km) south of Chicago, according
to AirNow, which categorized the air in the city of 70,000 as
"hazardous."
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Haze caused by wildfires in Canada
hangs over Chicago, Illinois, U.S., June 27, 2023. REUTERS/Eric
Cox/File Photo
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"Everyone should stay indoors and reduce activity levels," said the
government website, which tracks pollution. "Stay tuned to local
news media for advisories."
DEADLY HEAT AND HIGH TEMPERATURES
In the U.S. South, Florida and California, high temperatures
combined with high humidity were the big worry, with some 56 million
people enduring stifling heat that was to persist through the
weekend, the weather service said in its forecast.
The heat index - which measures how hot it feels due to the
combination of humidity and temperature - was expected to climb to
100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) and in some spots as high as 115
degrees F (46 C). The weather service urged people to seek air
conditioned spaces and drink plenty of water.
Separately, Texas' Webb County has had 11 eleven heat-related deaths
in recent days. Many of those individuals had underlying health
conditions and all ranged in age from 60 to 80 years old, according
to the county's medical examiner.
The county has a higher poverty rate than the state average, and the
majority of residents do not have air conditioning, leaving them
more exposed to the hot weather, the medical examiner told the
media.
(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago and Kanishka Singh in
Washington; additional reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa; editing
by Jonathan Oatis and Cynthia Osterman)
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