Wildfire smoke and air quality live updates: Northeast flights disrupted

Hazy and dangerous fumes from ongoing wildfires in Canada have engulfed the skies over much of the East Coast, prompting serious air quality alerts in at least 20 states from Missouri to Massachusetts.

MORE: Wildfire smoke map: Which US cities, states are being impacted by Canadian wildfires

Canadian officials said firefighters are scrambling to put out the blazes. So far this wildfire season, Canada has seen more than 8.7 million acres burned -- an area larger than the state of Vermont.

Latest Developments

Jun 8, 9:33 AM

LaGuardia, Philadelphia-bound flights paused from Northeast, Ohio, Mid-Atlantic

Flights from the Northeast, Ohio and the Mid-Atlantic bound for the Philadelphia International Airport and New York City's LaGuardia Airport have been paused due to the smoke, the Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday morning.

The FAA cautioned, "We will likely need to take steps to manage the flow of traffic safely into New York City, DC, Philadelphia and Charlotte."

Jun 8, 8:34 AM

Latest forecast

Waves of smoke will continue to move south Thursday from New York City to Philadelphia to Washington, D.C.

By Friday morning the AQI levels will drop for New York City. Smaller smoke plumes will linger from Detroit to Pittsburgh to D.C.

By Saturday and Sunday, the winds will begin to switch and blow smoke away from the U.S.

-ABC News' Max Golembo

Jun 8, 7:58 AM

Some NY, NJ school districts modify schedules

Some school districts in New Jersey and New York announced closures or updated schedules for Thursday amid the heavy smoke in the area.

In New York, school has been canceled in the Freeport, Long Beach and Yonkers districts, according to New York ABC station WABC.

In New Jersey, school has been canceled in the Newark, Elizabeth, Union and Orange districts, WABC reported.

Officials at Elizabeth Public Schools said they'd attempted to continue a normal schedule by holding indoor recess on Wednesday.

"As the day advanced and the air quality worsened, we consulted with both health officials who updated their recommendation to close school buildings tomorrow, Thursday, June 8," Superintendent Olga Hugelmeyer said in a letter to parents.

Jun 8, 9:33 AM

1 million N95 masks to be made available Thursday in New York

One million N95 masks will be made available for people at state sites in New York on Thursday, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday.

Officials will distribute 400,000 masks at MTA stations, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, state parks and the Javits Center, Hochul said. About 600,000 masks will be available from the state’s Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services, the governor said.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday visited New York City Housing Authority residents to deliver masks, according to his office, which released photos and a short video on Twitter.

-ABC News’ Darren Reynolds and Ahmad Hemingway

Jun 7, 10:56 PM

Biden speaks to Trudeau about wildfires: White House

President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke Wednesday about the wildfires in Canada, the White House said.

Biden offered additional assistance and also discussed the health impact of the fires, according to the White House.

"To date, the United States has deployed more than 600 U.S. firefighters and support personnel, and other firefighting assets to respond to the fires," the White House said in a statement.

Trudeau also tweeted that "hundreds" of American firefighters have arrived in Canada, "and more are on the way."

-ABC News' Ben Gittleson

Jun 7, 9:27 PM

'Hamilton' and other Broadway shows canceled over health concerns

A number of shows on Broadway were canceled over health concerns of the actors, in the wake of the wildfire smoke blanketing NYC.

"Shakespeare in the Park," which is performed outside, was canceled, as well as "Hamilton" and "Camelot."

-ABC News' Darren Reynolds

Jun 7, 8:14 PM

New York City's 'smoke wave' response time for warnings criticized

As New York City was bombarded with dangerous air and smoke that turned the skyline orange, some residents and environmental experts questioned if the city's leader acted quickly enough to warn people about the dangers of the "smoke wave."

The city's Office of Emergency Management issued warnings on its social media pages and city alert system starting Tuesday afternoon and Mayor Eric Adams put out a news release about the dangerous air quality around 11:30 p.m.

Some environmentalists said the late notice was unacceptable given that the city's environment was already showing poor visibility and unhealthy air earlier in the morning.

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-ABC News' Ivan Pereira

Jun 7, 7:51 PM

See the before and after images of NYC covered in wildfire smoke

Photos show the stark differences of the New York City skyline due to the wildfire smoke.

Jun 7, 7:21 PM

When to expect air quality to improve in the US amid Canadian wildfires

The wind conditions that are bringing plumes of smoke south are expected to last for several more days, experts say, as some fires in Canada continue to burn out of control.

The smoke is primarily from several wildfires burning in Quebec that is being blown south in a narrow band by an intense storm system around Nova Scotia that has not moved in several days, according to Mark Wysocki, an air pollution meteorologist who teaches at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

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-ABC News' Meredith Deliso

Jun 7, 7:01 PM

What to know about the Air Quality Index from wildfire smoke and how it affects human health

Wildfire smoke contains fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, which are microscopic solid or liquid droplets -- often 30 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair -- that can be inhaled and cause serious health problems, according to the EPA.

PM2.5 is considered unhealthy for "Code Orange" and sensitive groups once the Air Quality Index surpasses 100, according to AirNow, a website that publishes air quality data. Once the AQI surpasses 150, it is considered "Code Red," unhealthy for some members of the general public who may experience health effects, with sensitive groups experiencing more severe effects.

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-ABC News' Julia Jacobo

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