- Thick smoke from wildfires in Canada has halted or delayed flights at major East Coast airports.
- Haze from distant wildfires blanketed cities from New York to North Carolina, reducing visibility.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop at at least two major airports for the second day in a row as thick smoke from enormous wildfires in Canada continues to blanket the East Coast.
The FAA issued a temporary ground stop for inbound flights from the Midwest bound for New York's LaGuardia Airport and Philadelphia International Airport and warned of additional delays and cancellations at airports serving Washington, D.C., and Charlotte, North Carolina. The agency said deteriorating visibility required traffic restrictions to maintain safe operations.
Reduced visibility from wildfire smoke will continue to impact air travel today. We will likely need to take steps to manage the flow of traffic safely into New York City, DC, Philadelphia and Charlotte.
— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) June 8, 2023
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The dense smoke has engulfed cities across the northeast U.S. and parts of the Mid-Atlantic, turning daylight into an orange haze and prompting air quality alerts.
The smoke originates from over 450,000 acres of active wildfires burning across central and eastern Canada, focused in Ontario and Quebec. Dry, hot conditions in recent weeks helped the spread of wildfires that began earlier this month.
Forecasts show the wildfire smoke will continue to impact visibility and air quality for the next 24 to 48 hours, depending on the wind shifts.