It's not an Instagram filter. The skies really are that yellow.
Smoke from more than 800 active wildfires burning across Canada drifted hundreds of miles across North America this week, blanketing cities in a thick haze.
Across the Northeast and Midwest, including New York City, Minneapolis, and Chicago, as well as Canadian cities such as Toronto, smoke obscured skylines and prompted air quality alerts ranging from "unhealthy" to "hazardous" on Thursday.
Take a look at how the wildfire smoke is turning skies orange across the region.
A satellite image captured on Tuesday showed smoke from Canadian wildfires blowing southeast.
As winds carried the smoke further on Wednesday, downtown Toronto was engulfed in yellow haze.
Toronto's skyline, including the CN Tower, was obscured by the smoke.
The Canadian government issued an orange air-quality warning for Toronto, advising residents to limit time outdoors and reschedule or cancel outdoor activities.
Smoke also began to move into New York City on Wednesday.
On Thursday, New York City issued an air-quality health advisory due to an AQI forecast of 200, the upper end of the "unhealthy" category.
The Statue of Liberty was barely visible through the polluted air.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency categorized the air in the Twin Cities as "hazardous" on Wednesday.
Dense smoke affected visibility on the Stone Arch Bridge in Minneapolis.
Chicago's air quality index was rated "very unhealthy" on Thursday, with nearby suburbs experiencing "hazardous" conditions.
Aerial photos showed smoke lingering over Chicago neighborhoods.
Read next
Talia Lakritz is a Life correspondent at Business Insider covering politics and power through a lifestyle and visual storytelling lens. She has reported from the White House as well as military installations, mansions, and museums across the country, bringing readers inside the people, places, and systems that influence American life through immersive features.Previously, she wrote for The New York Jewish Week and SciShow Space.Talia holds a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing from Barnard College of Columbia University and ordination as an interfaith minister from One Spirit Learning Alliance. She hopes to one day visit all 50 states and all 14 public presidential libraries.Talia can be found on LinkedIn, Instagram, and X.Politics and power:
- Before-and-after photos show changes Trump has made to the White House decor, so far
- Melania Trump is keeping a low profile. Her outfits are helping.
- Melania Trump's White House portrait photographer says the photo 'shows a woman who's ready to embrace her position'
- The Midwest is having a moment
Visual features:
- World War II museum ships suddenly feel less like history after a US submarine sank an Iranian warship
- I visited the largest military aviation museum in the world with over 350 aircraft and missiles on display. Here are the coolest things I saw.
- I spent the night on a World War II submarine Airbnb that can sleep 65 people in sailors' bunks. Take a look inside.
- This 27-room Gilded Age mansion is more than just a display of wealth and power. Take a look inside Ballantine House.
Human interest:
- Iceland only has one rabbi. In a world filled with hate, he leads with kindness.
- Inside the Post-Roe Future: Thirteen conversations from the front lines
- Airlines break thousands of wheelchairs per year, leaving disabled passengers stranded. Activists and politicians are fighting for change.
- A Palestinian restaurant in New York hosted a free Shabbat dinner. Over 1,300 people showed up.
