New York City’s skyline was partially shrouded by the orange smoke haze from Canadian wildfires.
New York City was the far most impacted municipality in the United States from the haze smoke. The hazy plume from Canadian wildfires resulted in a ground stop on flights to and from New York City airports including LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International.
By afternoon, Midtown Manhattan looked like it had been transplanted to mars amidst a deep hazy orange glow. Smoky clouds obscured the city’s famous skyline and visibility across the five boroughs.
Thousands of pedestrians donned face masks that had been put away as the worst of the pandemic had waned in order to walk the streets of the Big Apple.
The smoke prompted the cancellation of two Major League Baseball games, namely the Yankees vs. White Sox match in New York and Phillies vs. Tigers match in Philadelphia.
Governor Kathy Hochul of New York called the worsening air quality “an emergency crisis.”
Also in New York City, the haze smoke led to the cancellation of performances of “Hamilton” and “Camelot” on Broadway and “Hamlet” in the Delacorte outdoor open-air theater in Central Park.
The air quality in Philadelphia remained dangerous on Wednesday night, with the Air Quality Index, which runs on a 0 to 500 scale and measures the density of pollutants, at 429 near midnight. This figure is considered “hazardous.”
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
