Wildfire smoke streams out of southern Canada
Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features smoke from wildfires over southern Canada, North Dakota, and other states on May 15, 2023.
By May 16, fires in Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan had burned 478,000 hectares. According to NASA, this is ten times the average area burned by mid-May.
“Smoke from the fires has caused poor air quality and reduced visibility in several cities. Wildfire smoke contains tiny particles called aerosols – some of which can degrade air quality and exacerbate respiratory and cardiovascular health problems,” said NASA.
“Air quality conditions on May 16 in some Alberta cities were ranked as ‘very high risk’ – the highest ranking in Canada’s Air Quality Health Index.”
“Unseasonably hot weather is expected to continue over the next few days in Western Canada. In British Columbia, temperatures are expected to reach 30° Celsius (86° Fahrenheit) through May 18, according to Environment Canada.”
The image was captured by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 18 (GOES-18)
Image Credit: NASA Earth Observatory
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By Chrissy Sexton, Earth.com Editor
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