Air pollution haze throughout the sky and buildings (Canada wildfire not pictured) – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by hxdbzxy
After wildfire smoke from Canada traveled to the Southeast, reaching as far as Miami, and deteriorating air quality to harmful levels, Florida’s skies Tuesday changed from blue to more of a milky haze. But on Wednesday, things were getting better.
Although smoke from more than 300 wildfires in Canada is still spreading out of control, a confluence of weather systems earlier this week caused it to reach Florida. This past weekend, a high-pressure system over the eastern United States and a low-pressure system over Florida combined to transport smoke from Eastern Canada south off the East Coast and then as far south as Miami.
Prior to sunset on Monday, the skies over the Orlando area had an orange color, and the smoke continued to cover Florida on Tuesday morning as the air quality deteriorated.
On Tuesday morning, Jacksonville, Orlando, West Palm Beach, and Delray Beach recorded unhealthy air levels with an AQI of 156. Later on Tuesday, the Tampa Bay region and all of Southwest Florida had “unhealthy” air quality levels.
From the Florida Panhandle to Jacksonville and down through South Florida, the smoke was visible.
Surfline beach cameras on Florida’s Space Coast and all along its east coast captured the smokiness.
Brandy Campbell of FOX Weather was in Miami when the city’s skyline was obscured by smoke.
Smoke was seen engulfing the Sunshine State and traveling south through the atmosphere in NOAA satellite imagery. On Tuesday morning, the smoke could also be seen covering much of the Southeast.
Florida was anticipated to have some residual haze on Wednesday, but the air quality has improved. There won’t be much of an impact, but some leftover smoke will blow across the Gulf Coast on Wednesday before moving north across the Southeast and into the Tennessee Valley.
According to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, this year saw the burning of more than 18.4 million hectares in Canada alone.
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Chris began his writing as a hobby while attending Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Today he and his wife live in the Orlando area with their three children and dog.
