Dangerous smoke exposure in U.S. increased 27-fold in last decade: Climate Central - NBC 6 South Florida

Climate Central: Record smoke exposure in the last decade - NBC 6 South Florida

When South Florida sees hazy or smoky skies, it is usually due to Saharan Dust that gets transported across the Atlantic during the first half of hurricane season or the occasional wildfire in some other part of the Peninsula.

But Tuesday was something much different with smoke from the Canadian Wildfires, more than a thousand miles away getting funneled all the way down to Florida. It wasn’t just the way it looked, but the way it smelled.

And for many Americans, dangerous wildfire smoke exposure has been increasing in recent years. In June, New York City experienced its worst air quality on record because of the summer wildfires in Canada.

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Our friends at Climate Central looked at smoke exposure since 2006. They have determined that the average person living in the United States has breathed in more harmful wildfire smoke this year than any year since 2006. 2020, 2021 and 2022 held that distinction before 2023.

Studies conclude that dangerous smoke exposure has increased 27-fold over the last decade during which time the planet Earth has also experienced its hottest years on record.

This connection between global warming, climate change and our climate in crisis is most certainly not a coincidence.