New York sees smoke from West Coast fires

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This handout satellite image taken and released by Maxar Technologies on September 14, 2020 shows the August Complex wildfire, burning to the west of Chico, California, to the north of Big Signal Peak. – The August Complex Fire became by far the biggest recorded blaze in Californian history, ripping through 746,000 acres of dry vegetation in the state’s north, as multiple fires combined. (Photo by – / Satellite image ©2020 Maxar Technologies / AFP)

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Smoke from the fires ravaging the American West Coast traveled across the continent to reach the skies over New York on Tuesday, according to meteorological reports.

The smoke was visible in the hazy New York sky, thought it remained well above the ground at 15,000 to 20,000 feet (4,500 to 6,000 meters), according to the site NY Metro Weather.

Thanks to strong pressure systems, the smoke was trapped along the western part of North America for days, making for potentially dangerous air quality in major cities such as Portland, Oregon and Vancouver and San Francisco.

But the weather shifted on Monday, carrying the smoke east along the jet stream. It was visible in National Weather Service (NWS) satellite photos from Monday evening.

Both the NWS and NY Metro Weather said the smoke would not cause air quality disruptions on the East Coast like the ones seen in California and elsewhere in the West, and it was expected to dissipate by Wednesday.

© Agence France-Presse