Smoke from wildfires in northern Ontario has turned the skies over Toronto orange and is spreading across the region this Friday [1, 2].
The haze affects air quality for millions of residents and signals the scale of a broader Canadian wildfire crisis that is crossing international borders [1, 2].
Prevailing winds are carrying the smoke from northern Ontario over the Greater Toronto Area and eastward toward the U.S. [1, 2]. Forecasters expect the haze to linger through Friday, July 19, and continue into the weekend of July 20 and 21 [1, 2].
The environmental impact has already reached the U.S. Midwest. In Milwaukee, the air quality reached a record low on July 16 [3].
These local conditions are part of a larger national emergency. There are currently more than 830 wildfires burning across Canada [4]. Of those fires, more than 100 are considered out of control [4].
Local officials in Ontario continue to monitor the movement of the smoke plumes. The visibility issues in Toronto are a direct result of the intensity of the northern burns and the specific wind patterns pushing the particulate matter south [1].
“Smoke from wildfires in northern Ontario has turned the skies over Toronto orange”
The movement of smoke from northern Ontario into major urban centers like Toronto and cities in the US Midwest demonstrates the transboundary nature of wildfire pollution. With more than 100 fires remaining out of control, the persistence of these plumes suggests that air quality alerts may become a recurring feature for the region as long as the northern burns remain active.
