NEW YORK – Thick smoke from Canadian wildfires Wednesday created the worst air quality on record for New York City. In doing so, it gave the sky a strange orange hue.
Images taken in New York City and across the Northeast capture how bustling city streets have turned into haunting, Martian-like scenes.
NEW YORK AIR QUALITY: HAZARDOUS AQI LEVEL REACHED IN NYC
The image above features the New York City skyline on Wednesday. Low visibility caused by wildfire smoke shortens the depth of field, hiding a fuller view of Manhattan buildings behind a curtain of smoke.
On the ground, the wildfire smoke transforms the bustling city views into something almost otherworldly as residents and tourists make their way around Radio City Music Hall.
In northern Manhattan, trains moved through the Bronx, where a neighborhood was covered in a rust-orange color.
The view from Central Park felt post-apocalyptic as skyscrapers were veiled by the smoke. In the picture below, a couple is seen walking through the park, while one can be seen wearing a mask.
WHAT TO DO WHEN WILDFIRE SMOKE SMOTHERS YOUR AREA AND HOW TO KEEP YOUR HOME’S AIR CLEAN
The air quality in New York City plummeted on Wednesday, breaking the record for the worst air quality in the city’s history.
The smoke appeared more gray near the Statue of Liberty, which stands between New York City and New Jersey. The photo below captured the moment a ferry floated past the statue, as smoke obscured the metropolitan area behind it.
These orange-tinted skies are the result of smoke particles blocking some wavelengths of sunlight. Sunlight contains multiple wavelengths that include all colors of visible light, but when the air is filled with particles, the particles block the shorter wavelengths of blue and green light. This leaves the longer wavelengths of orange and red to shine through.
More than 200 miles south of New York City, Washington also felt the effects of the wildfire smoke. A haze was seen around the U.S. Capitol and Washington Monument on the National Mall, along with other areas throughout the nation’s capital.
NEW YORK, PHILLY, WASHINGTON SMOTHERED IN ‘UNHEALTHY’ AIR
About 200 miles north of the Big Apple, wildfire smoke from Canada blanketed parts of Massachusetts. The photo below shows the smoke hanging over a highway in the town of Wrentham.
Poor air quality conditions can be dangerous for many, such as the elderly and pets.
To stay updated on local air quality across the country, check out the forecast in the FOX Weather app.