800-mile-long smoke plume suffocating Beaufort and Hilton Head. Here’s the cause
An 800-mile-long, 250-wide plume of smoke spit from a raging wildfire in Canada has made its way down the eastern seaboard of the United States and is now suffocating coastal South Carolina including Beaufort County.
From Cape Hatteras off the coast of North Carolina to coastal South Carolina, Georgia and Florida, the haze is limiting visibility and could affect people with breathing issues.
A fire over eastern Ontario appears to be the source, said Steve Taylor, a lead forecaster with the National Weather Service in Charleston. Wildfire smoke began muddying up the skies Monday and continued into Tuesday. It’s expected to remain in the area through the night and possibly into Wednesday.
“That’s when the bulk of the smoke should pass to the west,” Taylor said.
On Tuesday, visibility was 3 to 6 miles in South Carolina, which is some 1,300 miles south of Ontario. Visibility on a normal day is greater than 6 miles.
“Those who are really sensitive to smoke might be experiencing some issues but most people should be fine,” Taylor said.
Air quality in the region was listed mostly as “moderate” but there were a few locations listed as “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” according to AirNow, which publishes air quality data.
In June, smoke from fires in Canada enveloped major Northeastern cities in the United States, but Beaufort County was largely spared.
“This was an instance where the flow pattern was favorable to bring the smoke down,” Taylor said of the current haze.
Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada’s Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, called 2023 the country’s worst wildfire season.
