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How did Canadian wildfire smoke get here and why didn’t it smell?

Tiny smoke particulates can be transported great distances

wildfire smoke 10/1 Credit: (CSU/CIRA & NOAA)

ORLANDO, Fla. – Wildfires continue to burn in both eastern and western Canada. The smoke from time-to-time through the summer has drifted into the U.S. and has significantly impacted air quality.

The fires are extremely difficult to put out as many are burning in remote areas of the country and a large portion of it is forest. Therefore smoke will continue to enter portions of the U.S. given the wind direction.

On a couple of occasions, it has snuck into Florida. The most noticeable haze in Central Florida from Canadian wildfires occurred Tuesday. Air quality dipped into the unhealthy category.

But how did the smoke travel to Florida? Satellite images from the last 10 days show the smoke’s origin, near the Hudson Bay in Eastern Canada.

wildfire smoke on 9/24 Credit: (CSU/CIRA & NOAA)

The smoke was pulled and pushed around Southern Canada by the wind. As a storm system developed off the East Coast, counterclockwise wind flow around low pressure forced the smoke down the East Coast.

wildfire smoke 10/1 Credit: (CSU/CIRA & NOAA)

High pressure located over the central and southern U.S. pulled the smoke over Florida from the Atlantic.

High transporting smoke

Satellite images show the smoke over Florida.

Wildfire smoke 10/3 Credit: (CSU/CIRA & NOAA)

Notably, because of the way weather systems were positioned, the smoke bypassed most of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic and ventured over the extreme coast and Atlantic waters before moving back over Georgia and Florida.

Smoke particulates are extremely small, about 1/20 the width of human hair, and are easily transportable by the wind.

Why didn’t it smell?

There were some reports of Central Floridians being able to smell smoke, but on a widespread scale, it didn’t smell like a forest fire. While the tiny particulate matter that reduces air quality and creates the haze can travel great distances, you have to be relatively close to the source to be able to smell the smoke.

In addition, the smoke in Central Florida was not nearly as thick as what impacted the Northeast earlier this summer.

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