Disaster record

Canadian Wildfire Smoke (June 2023)

Two years after the disaster 86 deaths $2.1 billion

Summary

In early June 2023, smoke from huge wildfires in Canada drifted into the United States. Most of the fires were in Quebec. More than 400 were burning, and more than 150 were out of control. The smoke made the air dangerous to breathe across the Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic, the Great Lakes, and parts of the Midwest and South. On June 7, New York City briefly had the worst air of any major city in the world. Skylines turned orange. Schools canceled outdoor activities. Baseball games were postponed. Flights at LaGuardia were grounded. About 100 million Americans in 16 states were under air-quality alerts that night. AccuWeather called it the worst wildfire-smoke outbreak in the Northeast in more than 20 years. Smoke came back in waves through the summer.

The death figure is a modeled count for the New York City area (Pan et al., 2023): 86 premature deaths. Later 2024 studies of Northeast health impacts support that scale. There is still no single peer-reviewed U.S. national death total for the peak days. A 2025 Nature paper on the whole fire season came out after the two-year cutoff of June 7, 2025, so it is not counted here. National modeled deaths for the episode are higher than 86.

Scientific attribution

The Quebec fires started early in the season, after a record-hot, dry May. Scientists said a warmer climate made those hot, dry conditions more likely. That lengthens fire seasons and can make fires burn harder farther north. This page is about the smoke that crossed into the United States, not the fires in Canada themselves. A warmer climate made the hot, dry weather that fed the fires more likely, and it made it easier for smoke to travel far. That does not mean climate change started any one fire.

Jun 7, 2023 · Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes, and eastern Midwest, including New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, Boston, Detroit, and Chicago. The smoke came from fires in Quebec and eastern Canada · wildfire smoke

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Observation window: Jun 7, 2023 → Jun 14, 2023

Messaging tallies

54 / 54 Core Democratic Officials reviewed
10Disaster Mention
6Climate Connection
1 Mentioned Republican Obstruction of Climate Action

About these tallies

“Core Democratic Officials reviewed” shows how many of the 54 Core Democratic Officials have been examined for this disaster. Scoring rules: Methods.

Democratic framing

Summary

Ten Core Democratic Officials named the Canadian wildfire smoke in the seven-day window. Six connected it to climate change. One named Republican obstruction of climate action.

Senate Leader Schumer, on June 7 and 8, described the orange fog over New York and said climate change made the Canadian fires worse. On June 12 he said Republicans wanted to gut Inflation Reduction Act clean-energy investments “right as millions of Americans endured the hazards of toxic air pollution exacerbated by climate change.” Sen. Markey, on June 8, called it a “climate fire.” House Leader Jeffries, on June 7, told Brooklyn the Canadian smoke was in the city and that extreme weather, including wildfires, is climate change. Sens. Reed, Coons, and Heinrich also named this smoke and climate. Sens. Gillibrand, Manchin, King, and Cantwell named the smoke but did not say climate change caused it.

Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Jeff Merkley posted on social media. Those posts are not in these totals.

Statements

Republican framing

Sen. John Barrasso and Sen. Steve Daines spoke during the seven-day window at a June 8 Senate Energy and Natural Resources hearing held under the smoke haze. Barrasso said wildfire spending would fail without properly managed forests. Daines said East Coast airports and skies were getting what the West already knew. He pushed a Ninth Circuit Cottonwood fix and more forest treatment. They talked about logging, thinning, and lawsuits. They did not say climate change caused this smoke, and they did not name Republicans blocking climate policy.

Rep. Ryan Zinke, on June 8, mocked D.C. politicians for complaining about smoke and said the haze was a reminder that forests must be managed. Rep. Marc Molinaro told Fox this was not the moment to lecture people about the science of climate change.

Statements

Sources

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