New York or Mars? Skies of US turn red, pollution reaches ‘all-time high due to Canadian wildfires

New York: New York City is battling hazardous levels of pollution from Canada wildfires that have filled the city with smoke and turned its sky an apocalyptic orange. New York’s famous skyline became almost invisible on Wednesday as a thick veil of smoke shrouded the city.

New Yorkers took to social media in droves yesterday to share photos of the eerie scene. Among them was Michelin star chef Vikas Khanna, who compared New York to the Red Planet, Mars, as he shared a video of the sky turning orange. “This is 1 pm on Mars, I mean New York City,” he wrote.

Many other social media users noted that New York City looked surreal, with some calling it an “apocalyptic hellscape.”

New York on Wednesday recorded the worst air pollution of any city in the world as smoke from the Canadian wildfires poured into the US East Coast and Midwest. According to IQAir, New York City had the highest levels of air pollution among significant cities worldwide on Wednesday morning, surpassing even New Delhi.

New photo of the World Trade Center in New York City from EarthCam.

New York City was ranked as the city with the world’s worst air quality yesterday due to Canadian wildfires. pic.twitter.com/EUAZH9jPVf

— Pop Base (@PopBase) June 7, 2023

🚨#WATCH: Apocalyptic before and after scenes from the wildfire smoke consuming the New York City skylines ⁰⁰📌#Manhattan | #NewYork

Watch breathtaking yet unsettling sight of apocalyptic scenes as the smoke from the Canadian wildfires engulfs the magnificent New York City… pic.twitter.com/e9ppS7ga44

— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) June 8, 2023

🚨#WATCH: Apocalyptic before and after scenes from the wildfire smoke consuming the New York City skylines ⁰⁰📌#Manhattan | #NewYork

Watch breathtaking yet unsettling sight of apocalyptic scenes as the smoke from the Canadian wildfires engulfs the magnificent New York City… pic.twitter.com/e9ppS7ga44

— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) June 8, 2023

Due to hundreds of uncontrolled wildfires across Canada, New York City looks like a post-apocalyptic hellscape.

If you want a prelude of what the world is going to look like if we do not address man-made climate change — this is it. #ActOnClimate pic.twitter.com/cimHQkDwkZ

— Mike Hudema (@MikeHudema) June 7, 2023

The haze across the city reduced visibility. Many weather stations in the Big Apple reported visibility of less than a mile. A ground stop was issued at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and LaGuardia Airport in New York City on Wednesday afternoon due to low visibility from the smoke and haze, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

In addition to New York, strong smell of smoke, dark skies and breathlessness caught the attention of residents in other cities and towns from Maryland to New Hampshire, reporting low visibility and hazy skies.