MIAMI – Many across Florida woke up to a thick haze in the air after wildfire smoke from Canada made its way to the Southeast, reaching as far as Miami and causing air quality concerns.
More than 300 wildfires continue burning out of control across Canada, with over 18.4 million hectares burned this year alone, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, the smoke ended up in Florida due to the combination of a low-pressure system over Florida from this past weekend and a high-pressure system over the eastern U.S., causing the winds around those systems to carry it as far south as Miami.
Skies across the Orlando region had an orange tint Monday night before sunset, and on Tuesday morning, the smoke continued to blanket Florida.
The smoke could be seen from the Florida Panhandle to Jacksonville and down throughout South Florida.
The smokiness was visible across Surfline beach cameras on Florida’s Space Coast and up and down the state’s east coast.
FOX Weather’s Brandy Campbell was in Miami, where the smoke covered the city skyline.
NOAA satellite imagery captured the smoke moving south through the atmosphere and enveloping the Sunshine State. The smoke was also seen over much of the Southeast on Tuesday morning.
The air quality in Florida deteriorated Tuesday morning because of the wildfire smoke.
Of the six levels on the Air Quality Index (AQI) from “good” to “hazardous,” some major Florida cities were seeing “unhealthy” air on Tuesday. The map above shows the current air quality rating.
Unhealthy air levels with an AQI of 156 were measured in Jacksonville, Orlando, West Palm Beach and Delray Beach on Tuesday morning. Levels reached “unhealthy for sensitive” groups in Winter Park and on the Gulf Coast in the Tampa Bay area.