PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Hard to believe it’s been a year since Philadelphia took center stage The smoke from the Canadian forest fires caused the city to have the worst air quality in the world for one day.
Smoke out in June 2023 a record number of Canadian wildfires drifted south through the region.
CBS News Philadelphia
On June 8, air quality over Philadelphia was so poor that the sky turned a deep orange-red color and visibility dropped to less than a mile. That morning our air quality reached the highest level on the Air Quality Index (AQI) scale, with an AQI between 4:25 and 5 p.m.
At that time, Philadelphia had the highest AQI level on planet Earth, with air quality worse than India, China and Eastern Europe. Many government offices, schools and businesses were closed.
Transport was limited as sports and activities were canceled and everyone was advised to stay indoors – and not spend time outdoors without proper masks.
Anything above 3 p.m. is considered dangerous air to breathe. The AQI scale has six levels, with Hazardous (maroon color) being the highest. At that level, everyone is affected and a health warning or emergency is declared. And that’s exactly what happened for Philadelphia and most of the Northeast, including New York, Boston and Washington DC.
CBS News Philadelphia
The 2023 Canadian wildfire season was the worst ever. More than 6,500 wildfires scorched more than 71,000 square kilometers of land (18.4 million hectares) between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.
No part of Canada was spared. What made the fire season even worse was the size of each individual fire.
Considered megafires, they ranged from tens of thousands of hectares to more than 1 million hectares. The fire season also started earlier than normal and lasted well past the end of a typical wildfire season.
Some of the fires became what is known as “zombie fires.” These are fires that continue to burn or smolder slowly beneath the loose soil, ready to emerge and grow quickly under the right conditions.
What caused the Canadian forest fires? What are the conditions like in 2024?
Fire conditions in Canada include extreme drought and warm temperatures, with uncontrolled plants and trees providing fuel. Most of last year’s fires were started by lightning strikes, and this year looks set to be another dry and hot season.
To date, there have been 1,388 fires in Canada in 2024, burning an estimated 469,000 hectares.
More resources have been devoted to this year’s fire season and currently the driest areas are in British Columbia, southern Alberta, the far Northwest Territories and northern Quebec. This will likely shift and expand.
Cards from 2023 showed the The smoke blanketing the Philadelphia region was blown hundreds of miles by fires raging in the provinces of Quebec and Ontario.
A map from the Canadian Wildfire Information System shows multiple fires in northern Quebec again this year, including several “out of control” fires.
What is the current air quality in Philadelphia?
CBS News Philadelphia
When we look back at what happened a year ago and what lies ahead, it is important to know that we will have good and healthy air quality on Saturday.
Currently our air quality is 40 pm, the lowest level (green) on the AQI scale, and is considered healthy air.
Could we see a repeat of last year’s smoke over Philadelphia?
It is possible if conditions in Canada worsen and wind patterns direct the smoke towards us.
Stay informed on the latest air quality and smoke conditions with our NEXT Weather Alert team of meteorologists.
The video at the top of this article was originally posted in 2023.
