Western wildfire smoke is contributing to New York City’s worst air quality in 15 years

Extreme heat and dry conditions are fueling raging wildfires in the western US, charring more than a million acres, requiring evacuations and creating smoky conditions visible from space.

Smoke stretched early Wednesday all the way to the East Coast, including New York City, because high-level winds carried them thousands of miles from the West.

The smoke mixed down to the surface in New York City, creating an eerie scene Wednesday morning.

The city had a 24-hour average Air Quality Index of 154 on Tuesday, the worst it’s been since June 2006, when the AQI was 157.

The good news is a cold front is ushering the smoke out of the area. And some rain was helping out Wednesday afternoon.

And in Indiana, the Department of Environmental Management asked residents to reduce their activity time outdoors on Wednesday and Thursday. Forecasts predicted high levels of fine particles in the air due to the wildfire smoke, officials said in a news release.

In the West, the fires have caused power outages, destroyed structures and prompted the deployment of the Oregon National Guard.

As extreme drought still grips most of the West and the fires have become so intense they’ve created their own weather systems, the threat of more fires remains.

How to support Western wildfire victims

Wildfire smoke (milky white appearance) is shown on this satellite image from Wednesday afternoon.

In Oregon – where seven active large fires have burned nearly 467,000 acres – officials said the current fire season is unlike any they’ve seen before.

“I would categorize this fire season thus far as historic in terms of the amount of resources we’ve deployed, how many times we’ve deployed – within a three-week period we’ve mobilized to six conflagrations – and this is the earliest and most significant mobilization to date,” State Fire Marshal Mariana Ruiz-Temple said Tuesday.

The Alisal Fire burns near Goleta, California, on Tuesday, October 12.

A firefighter puts out a roadside fire in Goleta, California, on Wednesday, October 13.

An air tanker drops retardant on a wildfire in Goleta.

James Grooms looks through the remains of his home at the Rancho Marina Mobile Home & RV Park following the Brannan Fire in Sacramento County, California, on Tuesday, October 12.

Firefighter Tyler McManigal battles the Alisal Fire in Gaviota, California, on October 12.

A forest of ashen trees stands in the wake of the Windy Fire, south of California Hot Springs, on September 27.

A volunteer attempts to evacuate horses to safety as the Windy Fire expands in California's Sequoia National Forest on September 25.

Operations Section Chief Jon Wallace looks at the General Sherman giant sequoia tree at Sequoia National Park on September 22. The base of the tree, the world's largest by volume, was wrapped in an aluminum-based burn-resistant material to protect it from wildfires.

Firefighters spray water as flames from the Windy Fire push toward a road in California's Sequoia National Forest on September 22.

Firefighters battling the Windy Fire extinguish a spot fire in the Sequoia National Forest on September 19.

The Windy Fire burns in the Trail of 100 Giants grove in the Sequoia National Forest on September 19.

A helicopter drops water on the KNP Complex Fire burning in Sequoia National Park on September 15.

Flames from the KNP Complex Fire burn along a hillside in the Sequoia National Park on September 14.

This aerial photo, taken on September 4, shows the Dixie Fire on Horton Ridge in Plumas County, California.

Riley Cantrell cries while she and boyfriend, Bradley Fairbanks, view what's left of her mother's home in Greenville, California, on September 4. It was destroyed by the Dixie Fire.

A firefighter is seen as the Caldor Fire rages near California's Silver Lake on September 2.

A helicopter flies over Wrights Lake while battling the Caldor Fire in California's Eldorado National Forest.

Embers fly from a tree as the Caldor Fire burns along Highway 50 in California's Eldorado National Forest.

Veronica Foster, an evacuee from South Lake Tahoe, California, hugs her dog, Gracie, as she and her co-workers gather outside an evacuation center in Gardnerville, Nevada, on August 31. The governors of California and Nevada declared states of emergency as the fast-moving Caldor Fire prompted officials to tell everyone to get out of South Lake Tahoe.

Jason Marone of the Roseville Fire Department hoses down a hot spot in Meyers, California, on August 31.

A tree burns in a blackened forest at dawn on August 30 after the Caldor Fire tore through Twin Bridges, California.

A firefighter winds up hose at a spot fire near Meyers, California, on August 30.

The Caldor Fire burns homes along a ridge near South Lake Tahoe on August 30.

South Lake Tahoe residents are stuck in gridlock while attempting to evacuate the city on August 30.

A tanker makes a fire-retardant drop near Lytle Creek, California, on August 26 as efforts continued to stop the South Fire.

A firefighter tries to extinguish flames at a burning house as the South Fire burned in Lytle Creek, California, on August 25.

From left, Astrid Covarrubias, Jose Lamas and Maria Covarrubias walk through smoke after visiting their burned-out home in Lytle Creek on August 25.

The French Fire continues to spread near Wofford Heights, California, on August 25.

Firefighters are seen behind the flames of a backfire they were setting to battle the French Fire near Wofford Heights.

Crews battle California's Caldor Fire as it moved east toward Lake Tahoe on August 23.

This aerial photo, taken on August 19, shows burned homes at the Creekside Mobile Home Park a day after they were destroyed by the Cache Fire in Clearlake, California.

Firefighters dig a containment line on the Caldor Fire near Pollock Pines, California, on August 18.

Smoke and haze from wildfires obscure the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco skyline on August 18.

In this long-exposure photo, embers light up hillsides as the Dixie Fire burns near Milford, California, on August 17.

Destiney Barnard holds Raymond William Goetchius while stranded at a gas station in Doyle, California, on August 17. Barnard's car broke down as she was helping Raymond and his family flee the Dixie Fire.

Destroyed property is seen August 17 after the Caldor Fire passed through Grizzly Flats, California.

Firefighters spray water on trees being burned by the Dixie Fire near Janesville, California, on August 17.

As the KNP Complex Fire approaches, Forest Service firefighters Armando Flores, right, and Heron Hilbach-Barger clear vegetation around structures at the Ash Mountain headquarters in Sequoia National Park, Calif., on Sept. 15, 2021. The blaze is burning near the Giant Forest, home to more than 2,000 giant sequoias.

A firefighting helicopter flies in front of the sun, which was shrouded in thick wildfire smoke near Lakeview, Oregon, on August 15.

Wind blows smoke away for a moment, revealing damage from the Parleys Canyon Fire in Utah on August 14.

Crews battle a fire in Newhall, California, on August 12.

A table and chairs sit in front of a destroyed home in Greenville, California, on August 12.

A firefighter battles the Dixie Fire near Taylorsville, California, on August 10.

Smoke plumes rise from the Kwis Fire near Eugene, Oregon, on August 10.

A firefighter works to extinguish a controlled burn, a preventative measure, to protect a home in Greenville, California, on August 9.

Firefighters battling the Dixie Fire clear a fallen tree from a roadway in Plumas County, California, on August 6.

Flames from the Dixie Fire consume a pickup truck on Highway 89, south of Greenville, California, on August 5.

Operations Chief Jay Walter passes the historic Sierra Lodge as the Dixie Fire burns through Greenville, California, on August 4. The fire leveled multiple historic buildings and dozens of homes in central Greenville.

Firefighters work at a Greenville home that was engulfed by the Dixie Fire on August 4.

The Dixie Fire burns near Taylorsville, California, on July 29.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, left, and Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak tour an area destroyed by the Tamarack Fire in Gardnerville, Nevada, on July 28.

Firefighter Brentt Call walks through a burned-over area of the Bootleg Fire near Klamath Falls, Oregon, on July 27.

Cal Fire Capts. Tristan Gale, left, and Derek Leong monitor a firing operation in California's Lassen National Forest on July 26. Crews had set a ground fire to stop the Dixie Fire from spreading.

Firefighters try to reach a fire site in Quincy, California, on July 25.

Volunteers sort clothing at a donation shelter for those affected by the Bootleg Fire in Bly, Oregon.

Scott Griffin surveys his property, which was destroyed by the Bootleg Fire in Sycan Estates, Oregon.