Canadian Wildfire Smoke Causes ‘Unhealthy’ Air Quality in Florida
MIAMI – On Tuesday, South Florida woke up to a thick haze in the air as wildfire smoke from Canada made its way to the Sunshine State, causing concerns about air quality. FOX Weather Reporter Brandy Campbell is reporting from Miami, where smoke from over 300 wildfires in Canada has invaded much of the state, creating some of the unhealthiest air in the U.S.
According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center, more than 18.4 million hectares have been burned in Canada this year alone, with over 300 wildfires still burning out of control. This massive scale of the wildfires has led to smoke traveling as far south as Miami.
The smoke reached Florida due to a combination of a low-pressure system over the state from the past weekend and a high-pressure system over the eastern U.S. The winds around these systems carried the smoke from Canada all the way down to Miami.
Skies across Orlando had an orange tint on Monday night before sunset, and the smoke continued to blanket the state on Tuesday morning. The smokiness was visible from the Florida Panhandle to Jacksonville and throughout South Florida. FOX Weather’s Brandy Campbell, reporting from Miami, stated that the smoke covered the city skyline.
Surfline beach cameras on Florida’s east coast captured the smoky skies, along with images from Lake Underhill Park and Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando. The haze also affected Indian Harbour Beach and Tampa.
NOAA satellite imagery showed the smoke moving south through the atmosphere, enveloping the Sunshine State. The smoke was also seen over much of the Southeast on Tuesday morning.
The wildfire smoke has significantly deteriorated the air quality in Florida. Major cities such as Jacksonville, Orlando, West Palm Beach, and Delray Beach experienced “unhealthy” air levels with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 156 on Tuesday morning. Later in the day, the air quality reached “unhealthy” levels in the Tampa Bay area and across Southwest Florida.
However, there is some hope for improvement. The air quality is expected to improve on Wednesday as conditions stabilize.
The Canadian wildfires and the resulting smoke are a stark reminder of the far-reaching impacts of climate change. As wildfires become increasingly severe and widespread, they not only pose a direct danger to human lives and properties but also affect air quality over vast distances. The urgent need for global efforts to address climate change and prevent such devastating wildfires has become more evident than ever.
Image: Brandy Campbell/FOX Weather