YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.
IM MORGAN RADFORD. AND IM
AARON GILCHRIST. WE BEGIN WITH
A DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION
THATS IMPACTING MILLIONS OF
AMERICANS FROM COAST TO COAST.
>> DOZENS OF WILDFIRES BURNING
ACROSS THE WESTERN PART OF THE
COUNTRY AT THIS HOUR AND TO
MAKE MATTERS WORSE SMOKE FROM
THOSE FIRES HAS NOW SPREAD TO
THE EAST COAST. TAKE A LOOK. A
BLANKET OF SMOKE CREATING HAZY
SKIES IN NEW YORK, NEW JERSEY
AND PHILADELPHIA. ITS SO BAD.
NEW YORK JUST REGISTERED ITS
WORST AIR QUALITY DAY IN 14
YEARS. RIT NOW THERE ARE 83
ACTIVE WILDFIRES BURNING
ACROSS 13 STATES SO FAR,
FLAMES HAVE DESTROYED MORE
THAN A MILLION ACRES. THE
WORST OF THE WILDFIRES IS THE
BOOTLEG FIRE IN SOUTHERN
OREGON. ITS NOW THE 4TH
LARGEST IN STATE HISTORY.
>> MORE THAN 70 HOMES HAVE
BEEN DESTROYED AND THOUSANDS
HAVE BEEN FORCED TO EVACUATE
RIGHT NOW AS WE SPEAK, LESS
THAN A 3RD OF THE BOOTLEG FIRE
IS CURRENTLY CONTAINED. AND SO
FAR ROUGHLY 400,000 ACRES HAVE
ALREADY BEEN DESTROYED. SO
JUST FOR SOME PERSPECTIVE, THE
BOOTLEG FIRE HAS ALREADY
DESTROYED A SWATH OF LAND TO
GET. THIS IS LARGER THAN THE
CITY OF LOS ANGELES.
>> NBC NEWS METEOROLOGIST BILL
KARINS IS STANDING BY FOR US.
LETS BEGIN, THOUGH, WITH NBC
NEWS CORRESPONDENT RON ALLEN.
HES HERE IN NEW YORK CITY SET
THE SCENE FOR US. IT WAS SO
WEIRD. YESTERDAY AFTERNOON
STEPPING OUTSIDE AND SMELLING
THE SMOKE HERE IN THE CITY.
WHERE DO THINGS STAND RIGHT
NOW. WHATS THE AIR QUALITY
LIKE PEOPLE SAY.
>> WHILE THIS MORNING AROUND
BY 30 NEW YORK HAD THE
SECOND-WORST AN AIR QUALITY OF
ANY MAJOR CITY ANYWHERE IN THE
WORLD AND THATS SAYING
SOMETHING USUALLY MOST OF
THOSE CITIES ARE IN CHINA
WHERE THERES A REAL BAD
POLLUTION PROBLEM. ITS
ANOTHER HERE. BUT THE
SITUATION IS IMPROVING A
LITTLE BIT. IF YOU LOOK OVER
IN THIS DIRECTION AT THE
SKYLINE. YOU CAN SEE THE
EMPIRE STATE BUILDING THERE
AND ITS SORT OF SURROUNDED BY
ALL THIS HAZE. NORMALLY YOU
CAN SEE A BIT OR OF THE
SKYLINE. BUT.
>> ITS A KIND OF A LOW
HANGING AS. ITS ALSO A
CLOUDY DAY HERE. AND JUST LIKE
THAT. THATS SOME GOOD NEWS
BECAUSE THERES RAIN IN THE
FORECAST THERE ARE SUPPOSED TO
BE UNDER SHOWERS. STARTING ANY
HOUR NOW, MOST METEOROLOGISTS
THINK WASHED AWAY A LOT OF THE
SMOKE AT LEAST FOR THE DAY.
BUT YOU CAN SEE ITS A ITS A
HAZY SORT OF SOUPY SORT OF
THING. YOU JUST HANGING OVER
THE CITY AND THATS THE
SITUATION FROM TORONTO ALL THE
WAY SOUTH TO PHILADELPHIA
ACROSS THE TOP OF THE COUNTRY.
AND HERE ALL THE WAY TO THE TO
THE EAST COAST. ITS REALLY
JUST A VERY ODD PHENOMENON AND
ITS AMAZING WHEN YOU THINK
THAT THE SMOKE FROM THESE
FIRES COULD DRIFT THOUSANDS
AND THOUSANDS OF MILES ACROSS
THE COUNTRY.
>> AND END UP AND HANG HERE.
THERES BEEN THIS WAY FOR THE
PAST COUPLE OF DAYS. AND
AGAIN, THE FORECAST IS THAT
THINGS ARE GOING TO GET
BETTER, BUT WELL HAVE TO SEE
HOW SEVERE THE SHOWERS ARE IF
THERES HEAVY RAIN HOW LONG IT
LAST AND WHETHER IN FACT IT
DOES WASH AWAY ALL THIS IN
SOME PARTS OF THE COUNTRY.
THERE ARE HEALTH ADVISORIES.
THERE ARE WARNINGS OF THE THE
AIR QUALITY IS CONSIDERED
DANGEROUS OR UNHEALTHY IN SOME
BUT JUST A VERY UNUSUAL WERE
PHENOMENON THAT WERE
EXPERIENCING HERE FOR NOW A
3RD DAY OR SO HERE IN NEW YORK
CITY.
>> AARON RUN. YOU MENTIONED
THAT THIS CAN BE BAD NEWS FOR
PEOPLE WITH WITH ASTHMA OR
OTHER RESPIRATORY ISSUES.
WHATS ADVICE FOR FOLKS WHO
HAVE THOSE THINGS TO THINK
ABOUT AS WERE DEALING WITH
THIS POOR AIR QUALITY.
>> WELCOME TO I THE OBVIOUS
THINGS THAT, YOU IF YOU CAN
STAY IN THE HOUSE, THE BOY,
THE EXERCISING ITS ESPECIALLY
STRANGE WAS EXERCISING USING
GOT RIDE MY BIKE IN THE
AFTERNOONS. AND I DONT THINK
IM GOING TO THAT TODAY.
THOUGHT YESTERDAY AS WELL.
ITS BECAUSE YOU CAN SMELL
AIR. YOU CAN JUST TELL THE AIR
QUALITY IS BAD. AND FOR PEOPLE
OF ASTHMA RESPIRATORY
ILLNESSES ARE ISSUES.
OBVIOUSLY JUST JUST TAKE IT
EASY, YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT
LIKE THE END OF THE WORLD. OF
COURSE, YOU KNOW, ITS NOT,
YOU KNOW, A MATTER OF LIFE AND
DEATH AND PERHAPS IS FOR SOME
PEOPLE. BUT BUT AGAIN, THE
GOOD NEWS IS THAT WE HAVE THIS
OTHER WEATHER PHENOMENON
HAPPENING. ITS SUPPOSED TO
START RAINING HERE ANY OUR
EXPECTATION IS THAT THAT WILL
WATCH SOME OF THIS WAY. THE
OTHER PROBLEM, COURSE, THAT
THE WILDFIRE SEASON OUT WEST
IS JUST GETTING STARTED. AND
THE FIRES ARE BURNING OUT OF
CONTROL IN SO MANY AREAS AND
SO POSSIBILITY THAT FORECAST,
I WOULD THINK. AND WELL HAVE
MORE ON THIS IS THAT THESE
FIRES TO GET WORSE. AND EVEN
IF WE GET SOME RELIEF FROM THE
SMOKE AND HAZE HERE TODAY
BECAUSE OF RAIN. YOU KNOW,
WERE JUST AT THE BEGINNING OF
THE SEASON. SO THE REST OF THE
MONTH AND ON ITS AUGUST. WE
CAN GET MORE OF THIS THIS
WEATHER PHENOMENON THAT WERE
EXPERIENCING BECOMES MORE OF A
REALITY WAS MORE PREVALENT
THAN IT IS TODAY. ALL RIGHT.
HERES A RUNDOWN FOR US HERE