Smoke from the Canadian wildfires is starting to affect Western Europe, weeks after apocalyptic images of smoke-filled skies in New York and Washington, DC, went viral online.
Officials in Portugal forecasted skies “obscured by smoke particles” on Tuesday and Spain, France and other Western European countries were also affected.
The plume of smoke and soot from the wildfires currently stretches for thousands of miles, from Quebec and across the Atlantic Ocean, satellite images show. On Sunday, it reached the Azores Islands. By Monday, its outer edge was hovering above Western Europe.
The smoke in Europe is not currently a health hazard as it has been in Canada and the United States, as the smoke is much higher in the air over Europe, sitting at at least 3,600 feet above the surface. Experts have noted it may create especially vivid sunrises and sunsets over the coming days.
French media is reporting the country should see the peak of ash and soot in the air on Wednesday. While the smoke is currently just a visual oddity for Western Europe, back in North America, the wildfires and the accompanying smoke remain an issue.
There are 172 communities in Canada currently under air quality alerts. Additionally, the US midwest is also suffering from poor air quality.
Smoke from Canadian Wildfires Reach Europe, June 26, 2023, thermal
© NASA / Lauren Dauphin