U.S. Air Quality: Wildfire Smoke Lingers in Midwest and Northeast

At least 10 states from the Midwest to the Northeast on Friday were again facing smoky conditions created by raging wildfires in Canada, capping a week in which millions of people struggled to cope with poor air quality.

Smoke that has obscured skylines and made it difficult for some to breathe was expected to linger into the long Fourth of July weekend, according to the National Weather Service. However, the air quality was expected to slowly improve as thunderstorms help disperse the smoke and possibly clear the way for Independence Day firework celebrations.

Lino Alayo, 42, a landscaper on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, began his Friday morning by checking the air quality level on his phone, followed by three pumps of his asthma inhaler. Well aware of the potential health risks, he said he was forcing himself to work more slowly these days. “I just have got to learn how to adapt if this is going to be the new normal,” Mr. Alayo said. “It raises a lot of fears.”

John Valentin, 53, a building superintendent who lives and works on the Upper West Side, said he had been gargling with Listerine to soothe the irritation in his throat. He spent Friday cleaning a thin layer of soot from his building’s windowsills, he said, and sealing shut stairwell windows after older tenants complained about the air quality.

Other New Yorkers were less concerned about the conditions. Consuela Agudelo, 77, was waiting for a bus in Queens on Friday morning and, like most people on the street, was not wearing a mask, although she had some in her purse.

“I’m not putting it on because I don’t feel anything,” Ms. Agudelo said. “Also, it’s so hot with a mask on. When I left my house, I could smell the smoke. But it’s not as bad as the first time” earlier in June, when wildfire smoke turned the air in New York orange.

For much of the week, the Great Lakes Region, parts of the Midwest, the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic were choked with smoke, prompting residents to stay indoors to avoid unhealthy air. Those forced to leave home for work, errands or other activities masked up to stay safe.

By Friday morning, there were almost 500 wildfires burning across Canada, with nearly half of them burning out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Canada’s wildfire season started several weeks early this year, which means the fires could impact air quality across North America for weeks.

Sarah Maslin Nir and Christopher Maag contributed reporting.