Federal Weather Agency Predicts How Long Toxic Air Will Blanket Portions of the US

A woman walks her dog along the Ottawa River in Ottawa as smoke from wildfires obscures Gatineau, Que., in the distance on June 6, 2023. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

The smoky haze from Canadian wildfires that’s blanketing the Northeast and New York City could persist until this weekend, predicted the U.S. National Weather Service on Thursday.

The low-pressure system that is driving the apocalyptic-looking smoke over the East Coast is lingering over Nova Scotia, Canada, and Maine, said a meteorologist in a new report. That system will “probably be hanging around at least for the next few days,” National Weather Service meteorologist Bryan Ramsey said.