

The United Nations warned last year that the number of extreme wildfires will jump 14% by 2030 and 30% by 2050. While this year could be relatively quiet for the Southwest, the National Interagency Fire Center predicts above-normal fire activity in the Pacific Northwest through September and in the Northeast through August.Ī new normal. This year, smoke is hurting the East Coast. Why on the East Coast? The North American West has become much more accustomed to wildfire smoke in recent years. The smoke could also move more toward the Midwest and the Ohio Valley before swinging back toward the Northeast and mid-Atlantic. “Until this big weather pattern decides to shift and we get a change in wind direction, the smoke is going to stick around.” “It’s channeling these winds out of the north and bringing the smoke in day after day,” she said.
