See eerie orange skies over New York City as Canadian wildfire smoke blankets Northeast
Images taken in New York City, Washington, D.C., and across the Northeast capture how bustling city streets have turned into haunting, Martian-like scenes.
Air quality deteriorating across New York, Northeast due to thick Canadian wildfire smoke
Thich smoke from wildfires burning in Canada has made its way into New York state and the Northeast dropping air quality levels to very unhealthy and hazardous levels.
NEW YORK – Thick smoke from Canadian wildfires Wednesday created the worst air quality on record for New York City. In doing so, it gave the sky a strange orange hue.
Images taken in New York City and across the Northeast capture how bustling city streets have turned into haunting, Martian-like scenes.
NEW YORK AIR QUALITY: HAZARDOUS AQI LEVEL REACHED IN NYC
Rust-colored New York City skyline. June 7, 2023.
(Pamela Ng / FOX Weather)
The image above features the New York City skyline on Wednesday. Low visibility caused by wildfire smoke shortens the depth of field, hiding a fuller view of Manhattan buildings behind a curtain of smoke.
On the ground, the wildfire smoke transforms the bustling city views into something almost otherworldly as residents and tourists make their way around Radio City Music Hall.
Hazy skies with Radio City Music Hall in the foreground. New York City. June 7, 2023.
(Debbie Burkhoff / FOX Weather)
In northern Manhattan, trains moved through the Bronx, where a neighborhood was covered in a rust-orange color.
Smoky haze blankets neighborhood in the Bronx. New York City. June 7, 2023.
(David Dee Delgado / Getty Images)
Also in the Bronx, Yankee Stadium was also enshrouded in a rusty haze.
Because of the hazardous air quality issues, Major League Baseball officials opted to postpone the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox game Wednesday night to Thursday at 4:05 p.m. ET.
A general view of hazy conditions resulting from Canadian wildfires at Yankee Stadium before the game between the Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees on June 7, 2023, in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images)
(New York Yankees / Getty Images)
The view from Central Park felt post-apocalyptic as skyscrapers were veiled by the smoke. In the picture below, a couple is seen walking through the park, while one can be seen wearing a mask.
The air quality in New York City plummeted on Wednesday, breaking the record for the worst air quality in the city's history.
People walk in Central Park as smoke from wildfires in Canada cause hazy conditions in New York City on June 7, 2023.
(TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP / Getty Images)
WHAT TO DO WHEN WILDFIRE SMOKE SMOTHERS YOUR AREA AND HOW TO KEEP YOUR HOME'S AIR CLEAN
The smoke appeared more gray near the Statue of Liberty, which stands between New York City and New Jersey. The photo below captured the moment a ferry floated past the statue, as smoke obscured the metropolitan area behind it.
The Statue of Liberty is surrounded by smoke in New York City. June 7, 2023.
(Lokman Vural Elibol / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images)
These orange-tinted skies are the result of smoke particles blocking some wavelengths of sunlight. Sunlight contains multiple wavelengths that include all colors of visible light, but when the air is filled with particles, the particles block the shorter wavelengths of blue and green light. This leaves the longer wavelengths of orange and red to shine through.
Not just NYC
![A view of New Brunswick, New Jersey with the Raritan River on June 7, 2023. The skyline is covered in a thick blanket of smoke.]()
Image 1 of 2A view of New Brunswick, New Jersey with the Raritan River on June 7, 2023. The skyline is covered in a thick blanket of smoke. (Kyle David)
![A view of New Brunswick, New Jersey with the Raritan River on a normal day without smoky haze.]()
Image 2 of 2A view of New Brunswick, New Jersey with the Raritan River on a normal day without smoky haze. (Kyle David)
Other states, such as New Jersey, were blanketed in wildfire smoke. The images above compare the same view on different days, with one view showing the city of New Brunswick covered by a blanket of smoke.
Further south, Washington also felt the effects of the wildfire smoke. A haze was seen around the U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument on the National Mall, along with other areas throughout the nation's capital.
NEW YORK, PHILLY, WASHINGTON SMOTHERED IN ‘UNHEALTHY’ AIR
Tourists walk on the National Mall as smoke from wildfires in Canada cause hazy conditions in Washington, DC, on June 7, 2023.
(SAUL LOEB / AFP / Getty Images)
About 200 miles north of the Big Apple, wildfire smoke from Canada blanketed parts of Massachusetts. The photo below shows the smoke hanging over a highway in the town of Wrentham.
Smoke from wildfires in Nova Scotia shrouds Washington Street in Wrentham, Massachusetts. June 6, 2023.
(John Tlumacki / The Boston Globe / Getty Images)
Poor air quality conditions can be dangerous for many, such as the elderly and pets.
To stay updated on local air quality across the country, check out the forecast in the FOX Weather app.