(Chicago, Washington) The inhabitants of the American Midwest are again plunged into air on Wednesday heavily polluted by the smoke from the fires in Canada, the second episode of air pollution linked to these fires this month in the United States.
In Chicago, the nation’s third-largest city, skies are gray for the second day in a row and some residents have put on masks to get around.
The authorities have advised limiting the time spent outdoors, especially for children or pregnant women.
Chance of the calendar, President Joe Biden went to Chicago on Wednesday to talk about the economy. If he did not mention the subject of the fires, his plane landed in a thick layer of smoke and fog.
PHOTO ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
The Presidential Marine One helicopter flies over the city of Chicago which was shrouded in a thick cloud of smog on Wednesday
In Detroit and Indianapolis, too, the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) air pollution index indicated a level “very harmful” to health.
The smoke is gradually moving east and began to reach the Washington area by midday. A somewhat dusty air, with a slightly acrid smell, came to spoil a day that promised to be sunny in the American capital.
“One of these events in the year would be remarkable, but this will be our second in a month,” NASA air pollution scientist Ryan Stauffer tweeted.
At the beginning of the month, a particularly impressive first episode of air pollution affected the entire northeastern United States. Images of New York bathed in orange light had made headlines.
New York authorities have also set up mask distributions this week, but the city is spared for the moment.
On the other hand, the air quality is also very poor in Toronto on Wednesday, according to measurements by Canadian authorities.
Smoke in the north, heat in the south
A study assessing the direct link between these current fires and climate change has not yet been conducted. But scientists insist that global warming, caused by human activities, generally exacerbates the risk of fires and their intensity.
In early June, Joe Biden judged that this air pollution represented “a stark reminder of the consequences of climate change”.
On Monday, NASA said smoke from the Canadian fires had even reached southwestern Europe. In particular, it published a satellite image showing a gray cloud over northern Spain and Portugal.
But the air quality should remain acceptable there, however, because the smoke is higher in the atmosphere when it arrives in Europe, said NASA.
Some 500 wildfires are currently active in Canada, half of which are considered out of control. Quebec in particular is experiencing a historic and particularly early fire season.
This crisis is likely to continue, because the peak of summer is far from being reached, and follows a very dry spring.
At the same time, a vast heat wave continues to overwhelm the southern United States. It has been affecting Texas in particular for days, but continues to move eastward, hitting the Mississippi Valley region hard.
While this episode of extreme temperatures is particularly long, the danger, especially for fragile populations, is increased by prolonged exposure, warned the American meteorological services.
However, a “slight respite” is expected for this weekend in these regions, they said.