Smoke Gets In Your Eye

Sacre bleu!!

The haze in the sky is from massive forest fires in Quebec. I can smell a smoky tang in the air. 

Good night to close the windows and stay inside especially if you have any respiratory issues. 

https://fire.airnow.gov/#

I can smell the smoke even with the windows closed.  If you have respiratory issues, be very careful.  Air is not supposed to improve tomorrow, especially in the afternoon.

It is pretty surreal and apocalyptic in NYC.

This was from town:

AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT WEDNESDAY NIGHT

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has issued an Air Quality Action Day for the following counties: Bergen, Passaic, Hudson, Essex, Union until midnight EDT Wednesday night.

An Air Quality Action day for Particulate Matter has been declared for Tuesday, June 6th and Wednesday, June 7th. Sensitive individuals, including those with heart or lung disease, the elderly, and the young should limit strenuous activities and the amount of time active outdoors. Levels of fine particulates will rise into unhealthy for sensitive groups category statewide today and Wednesday and likely last into the evening hours both days due to wildfire smoke transport from eastern Canadian wildfires.

For additional information regarding the air quality alert and related health concerns, please visit the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Web site at http://www.njaqinow.net. More information on the Canadian Wildfires can be found here:
https://abc7ny.com/air-quality-alert-canada-wildfire-nyc-smoke-new-york/13348720/

All OUTDOOR Maplewood Township sponsored Recreation Programming is cancelled Wednesday, June 7^th. Questions related to Recreation Programming can be directed to the Recreation Department at 973.762.8120 ext. 4004.

We had some  very bad air quality from wildfires here in Edmonton last month. Fortunately, we had installed an electronic whole house air filter that made a huge difference in terms of indoor air quality based on advice from a poster here on MOL.  That said, given how porous the old houses in MAPSO are, I can imagine this is tough.

We built Corsi Rosenthal boxes for my kids classroom during the pandemic.  I wonder whether they might help with this if things get too bad.

Corsi–Rosenthal Box

The sun is pretty Orange this morning. It’s not rising like a Red Rubber Ball, but it definitely looks like there’s some smoke in the air. 

I don’t smell smoke anymore, but maybe my nose got used to it.

Smoke is supposed to be worse here later in the day.

We were notified by our daughter’s school that there will be no outdoor activities today

I thought someone local was using their fire pit. Kinda scary, and at the same time amazing,  that the smell carried so far.  

I stopped wearing a mask for Covid a couple of months ago but thinking about remasking for the smoke.

Despite what weather report says, it seems better out there today than it did yesterday.  It was muggier yesterday, which didn't help.  

As for the smoke, take it seriously. Try to stay inside, wear a mask if you have to move around outside (those N95s will work very well), and use air filtration if you have it (a/c on cool or fan helps, too).

The smoke is coming from wildfires in eastern Canada, mostly Quebec but also Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. It is being driven in a plume through upstate NY and Pennsylvania (see satellite image below) and will continue throughout the day and into tonight.

The weather pattern that is driving the smoke our way is shown in the first map. Note especially the low (red "L") over New Brunswick (north of Maine) and the counterclockwise wind rotation into our area.

In the second map, the GFS model for midday tomorrow shows the low having weakened and the wind pattern broken up, which should dissipate the smoke.

Thanks, Max! I went to the Short Hills Mall this morning and it was bad out but not horrible. I came back outside, and I could barely breathe and realized I had forgotten to grab a mask. I keep some in my car, but I was driving my husband's car...

I feel like I'm living in a sci-fi movie - looks a bit Dune-esque out there.  Wow!

People often tend to attribute every extreme weather event to climate change. This however absolutely 100% is that. 

It’s worse today than it was yesterday. I was in Jersey City an hour ago, it looks like dusk and the smoke is very heavy. 

Floods Hill just now. 

WxNut2.0 said:

People often tend to attribute every extreme weather event to climate change. This however absolutely 100% is that. 

How so? Srs, I have no idea how these 2 things are related. 

the18thletter said:

WxNut2.0 said:

People often tend to attribute every extreme weather event to climate change. This however absolutely 100% is that. 

How so? Srs, I have no idea how these 2 things are related. 

Increases in wildfire frequency/longevity are a well accepted consequence of climate change. We’re also in a very “blocky” jet pattern which what’s keeping this pesky low near us and allowing the smoke to funnel south. This kind of jet configuration is also likely at least partially a climate change consequence. These events are going to become more common. 

WxNut2.0 said:

Increases in wildfire frequency/longevity are a well accepted consequence of climate change. We’re also in a very “blocky” jet pattern which what’s keeping this pesky low near us and allowing the smoke to funnel south. This kind of jet configuration is also likely at least partially a climate change consequence. These events are going to become more common. 

Any idea when the situation will improve? Tomorrow looks bad too, but  do the models show anything for Friday and beyond?

The computer weather report for Quebec shows rain tonight and tomorrow.   It does not say hard rain.  So, perhaps this will help.    This smokey air reminds me of how we burned leaves on the street curb going back to the 1960s.  This was of course banned and helped air quality a lot.  Add to this smoke the fact that over 50% of the population smoked cigarettes and cigars and pipes.   What a terrible combination.  

I don’t think climate change is something new for the planet. Everything on this planet has changed for millions of years, evolution is a fact, climate change is a fact. We’ve been lucky a big enough meteorite hasn’t hit us in centuries. Wildfire is a part of the evolution, cows burping is a part of the process, dinosaurs farted also, methane is a natural occurrence on this here planet. Things burn, things rise up from the oceans, things erode back into the ocean. It’s us who refuse to accept that the planet wasn’t created specifically for us to live in without the inconvenience of the evolutionary process. 

WxNut2.0 said:

Increases in wildfire frequency/longevity are a well accepted consequence of climate change. We’re also in a very “blocky” jet pattern which what’s keeping this pesky low near us and allowing the smoke to funnel south. This kind of jet configuration is also likely at least partially a climate change consequence. These events are going to become more common. 

Thanks. I was under the assumption that this was like a once in a 100 year fire in Canada. I guess we better get used to it then I guess 

Jaytee said:

I don’t think climate change is something new for the planet. Everything on this planet has changed for millions of years, evolution is a fact, climate change is a fact. We’ve been lucky a big enough meteorite hasn’t hit us in centuries. Wildfire is a part of the evolution, cows burping is a part of the process, dinosaurs farted also, methane is a natural occurrence on this here planet. Things burn, things rise up from the oceans, things erode back into the ocean. It’s us who refuse to accept that the planet wasn’t created specifically for us to live in without the inconvenience of the evolutionary process. 

the climate absolutely changes naturally. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t helping it along. We are. 

A really good website and free Yale online lecture course that covers climate, sea currents, and global warming is:  

jimmurphy said:

WxNut2.0 said:

Increases in wildfire frequency/longevity are a well accepted consequence of climate change. We’re also in a very “blocky” jet pattern which what’s keeping this pesky low near us and allowing the smoke to funnel south. This kind of jet configuration is also likely at least partially a climate change consequence. These events are going to become more common. 

Any idea when the situation will improve? Tomorrow looks bad too, but  do the models show anything for Friday and beyond?

most of the smoke should be at higher altitudes from tomorrow afternoon on. The worst of it *should* be gone by tomorrow. 

Don't let the math stop you from finishing all the lectures.  The reasoning is clear without understanding the math.   We of course do not need to do all the reading, take tests or do term papers.   

@max_weisenfeld - Thank you for that wind update. It makes sense, and looking forward to the dissipation of this smoke tomorrow.

[Edited as I posted late to the WxNut question party]

It seems much better today, but the AQI is still very high. Am I just getting used to this? 

HatsOff said:

It seems much better today, but the AQI is still very high. Am I just getting used to this? 

Not really. It gets way worse as the day goes along. Or at least that’s what happened other days. My KN95 kept most of the smell at bay as I walked home from work last night, but masks don’t help so much with the awful eye itch…

OK that makes sense. Yesterday it seemed to really escalate in the early afternoon. I agree about the eye itch - ugh.