According to the National Weather Service, smoke from the ongoing wildfires in Canada has now travelled as far south as Miami and is currently causing air quality concerns across the state of Florida.
According to air quality index AirNow, the dry hazy air isn't much of a concern for most people, but it is considered unhealthy for "sensitive groups," which includes the elderly, pregnant women, those with heart or lung disease, and small children.
People who fall under this category should avoid going outside and should most certainly avoid strenuous outdoor activities, says the website. While the haze is likely reach its peak Tuesday afternoon, Tampa Bay's air quality is expected to gradually improve over the next couple days, following a forecasted cold front moving through the area.
But the haze is a good reminder of how serious the situation still is for our polite neighbors in the north.
Thanks to climate change creating drier and windier conditions than normal, Canada is still actively dealing with over 300 wildfires that have burned roughly 18.4 million hectares so far this year, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center.
Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.South Floridians! Noticing hazy skies today? This is a result of Canadian wildfire smoke being transported far southward through the atmosphere, which has reduced air quality and visibility. Note the appearance on visible satellite imagery across much of the SE US, including FL! pic.twitter.com/w0JclTMYm9
— NWS Miami (@NWSMiami) October 3, 2023
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