More than 60 million Americans exposed to hazardous levels of wildfire smoke, a new record

Image from the GOES-16 satellite showing smoke moving into New York City June 7, 2023. Image: NASA Earth Observatory/NOAA The scope and severity of the Canadian wildfire-induced smoke event that has enveloped the New York to Washington corridor is astonishing even sober-minded meteorologists and climate scientists. The big picture: Poor air quality records have been shattered in multiple cities and states, including the nation's capital, which saw its first-ever "Code Purple" day for fine particulate pollution on Thursday. • Nationally, Wednesday was the worst wildfire-related smoke event in the U.S....