It’s not an Instagram filter. The skies really are that yellow.
Smoke from more than 800 active wildfires burning across Canada drifted hundreds of miles across North America this week, blanketing cities in a thick haze.
Across the Northeast and Midwest, including New York City, Minneapolis, and Chicago, as well as Canadian cities such as Toronto, smoke obscured skylines and prompted air quality alerts ranging from “unhealthy” to “hazardous” on Thursday.
Take a look at how the wildfire smoke is turning skies orange across the region.
A satellite image captured on Tuesday showed smoke from Canadian wildfires blowing southeast.
As winds carried the smoke further on Wednesday, downtown Toronto was engulfed in yellow haze.
Toronto’s skyline, including the CN Tower, was obscured by the smoke.
The Canadian government issued an orange air-quality warning for Toronto, advising residents to limit time outdoors and reschedule or cancel outdoor activities.
Smoke also began to move into New York City on Wednesday.
On Thursday, New York City issued an air-quality health advisory due to an AQI forecast of 200, the upper end of the “unhealthy” category.
The Statue of Liberty was barely visible through the polluted air.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency categorized the air in the Twin Cities as “hazardous” on Wednesday.
Dense smoke affected visibility on the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis.
Chicago’s air quality index was rated “very unhealthy” on Thursday, with nearby suburbs experiencing “hazardous” conditions.
Aerial photos showed smoke lingering over Chicago neighborhoods.
