Smoke from California hits East Coast

Smoke from California wildfires has drifted as far east as New York City and Philadelphia, bringing unhealthy air quality all the way across the country, meteorologists said Tuesday.

Smoke from more than 100 fires burning in California and in other Western states and Canada has triggered air quality advisories in Pittsburgh and Boston and other cities in the East as well.

“Smoke particles are small and light (and) can be transported a few thousand miles away from their source,” said meteorologist

Alex DaSilva of the AirNow monitoring service.

DaSilva said East Coast seniors should remain indoors and avoid long periods of exposure to the West Coast smoke — the same advice Californians get during wildfire season.

AirNow reported that air quality readings exceeded 150, which is in the “unhealthy” range, in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and in parts of Philadelphia. On social media, photographs showed the Statue of Liberty shrouded in brown smoke that was said to have originated in the far west.

“This is one of the most unhealthy air quality days in New York City in quite some time,” the New York Metro Weather service said in a statement. “Wildfire smoke is creating terrible air quality.”

Air quality was moderate in Washington, D.C., and unhealthy for sensitive groups in Pittsburgh and Boston, Accuweather said.

Satellite photographs from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed smoke hovering in a broad swath from Indiana to Massachusetts.

In California and much of the West, however, air quality was generally good, air monitors indicated.

Spencer Platt / Getty Images The Statue of Liberty stands behind a cloud of haze in New York City. Wildfire smoke from the West has arrived in the tristate area, creating decreased visibility and a yellowish haze in many areas.