As The Canada Wildfires Continue To Rage, More Canadians Likely To Vacation In Florida
People wear face masks as they arrive to Newark Liberty International Airport amid hazy conditions due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires on June 8, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images)
The wildfires in Canada continue to rage, disrupting life not only in Canada, but across much of the United States Northeast. As a Floridian, I've seen my share of wildfires, but with aggressive forest management things have been much better over the last few years. Brush clearing and controlled burn efforts have really paid off. Our fire danger in Florida is actually quite low right now. Southwest Florida especially.
So if you're looking to escape the Canada Wildfires and smoke, Florida is a good choice.
Canadians have been heading to Florida since before the fires began. Visit Florida reported that Florida attracted an estimated 1.44 million Canadians during the first quarter of 2023. With COVID restrictions removed, that number is back up to pre-pandemic levels. People from all over are coming here as Visit Florida estimates we had a record 37.9 million visitors during the first quarter of 2023. Expect that number to rise even more as Canadians and East Coast residents look to escape the smoke. I saw an estimate of 140 fires burning, with several of them not contained.
The National Weather Service explains what is going on with the smoke.
It's very possible that these Canada Wildfires continue well into the summer. Weather patterns will decide where the smoke goes. I remember a week or so ago my friend in Iowa was talking about the smoke. Right now it's the New York area that's suffering. Vox summed it up best "East Coasters finally understand what it’s like to live in California."
I get it. You can't escape that smoke.
It's in your house, in your clothes, in your lungs. Running an air purifier only helps a little. I do remember one time sitting in my car with the air up and the 'recirculate' button pushed. That did help. But I'd expect more people to take a 'summer vacation' from the smoke and head down to Florida.
