The sunrise over Metro Atlanta featured a touch more haze in the sky, courtesy of the Canadian wildfire smoke drifting into the Southeast United States.
The sun had a slightly more orange tint as it rose over the horizon in Metro Atlanta, however it was not nearly as red compared to the Birmingham, Alabama region, or even compared to New York City!
The animation below shows the cloud cover and smoke as it drifted over the eastern half of the United States on Wednesday morning. Low pressure off the coast of Maine is pulling smoke from the Canadian wildfires into the Northeast U.S. The smoke is so thick that visibility of the New York City skyline remains reduced.
Taking a closer look at the Southeast, smoke continues to drift south into North Georgia and Central Alabama.
However, the smoke over the southern U.S. is not nearly as prolific or thick compared to the Northeast. As a result, Metro Atlanta Air Quality Index values will remain in the “Moderate” zone, which means air quality will be acceptable for the majority of the public, but there may be enough pollutants (ie, smoke) in the air to be a moderate health concern for people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.
Meanwhile, the Air Quality Index in the Northeast -- including New York City and Philadelphia -- will be very unhealthy. New York City is expecting a Code Red air quality day today, and areas of Philadelphia will experience a Code Purple.
The Futurecast Smoke Density Forecast below shows that a little more smoke will drift through North Georgia today before moving into Central Georgia.
Below is the current map of active wildfires across the United States and Canada.