far as south as louisville. ainsley: looks like it s gotten worse as the day is progression. an hour ago it was not as bad. over # hundred million americans urged to stay indoors a void breathing this hazardous air. coming from hundreds of wildfires up north burning across canada. steve: filly sports plex down in philly right now. let s check a little closer to home. fox weather correspondent nicole valdez joins us live from hears new york. you are just across the river from manhattan and you can see it, but it s not as easy as it normally is. steve ainsley, brian, good morning. let me paint the picture for you here. you mentioned on long island sitting here in queens. we are overlooking the city. you will notice there the haze, the smoke still very present over my shoulder midtown, as you look further west, you should be seeing downtown, the wall street district. maybe even the world trade center but you re not seeing those buildings, that smoke still very much prevale
This climatic turnaround is particularly welcome after a prolonged dry spell that led to significant crop losses for farmers and fruit and vegetable growers, and major setback for the tourism industry.
Canada's abnormally dry winter is worsening drought conditions across the western provinces, where most of the country's oil, gas, forest products and grain are produced. Western Canada is slowly emerging from a blast of arctic temperatures over the weekend, but the winter had otherwise been unusually mild. Many cities experienced their warmest December ever recorded and British Columbia's snowpack is on average 44% below normal, according to provincial data.
The tourism sector in the Kashmir Valley has been adversely affected by the abrupt dry winter with no snowfall and unusually high temperatures in the coldest parts. The lack of snow has led to a 70% decline in adventure tourist arrivals in Gulmarg, where most winter sports events are organized. The snowless winter has also impacted the hydroelectricity generation, leading to an increase in load shedding in the already electricity-deficit region.
ABC 10News reporter Dani Miskell was at La Jolla Shores Beach Wednesday morning, where rain and a high surf advisory were expected later in the afternoon.