Thick smoke pouring from Canadian wildfires snarls air travel in and out of NYC

• Smoke from wildfires has prompted ground stops at Newark and LaGuardia airports in New York.
• Visibility is as low as 5 miles in Queens, per the National Weather Service.
• The smoke is being carried south from more than 420 fires across Canada.

Thick smoke from enormous wildfires burning across Canada poured into the northeastern U.S. on June 7, reducing visibility and prompting the FAA to slow or stop flights into LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport.

“The FAA has taken steps to manage the flow of traffic into the New York City area due to reduced visibility from wildfire smoke,” FAA spokesperson told Insider.

“Flights from the Upper Midwest and East Coast bound for LaGuardia International Airport have been paused. Flights to Newark Liberty International Airport have been slowed.”

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates airports in the region, confirmed the ground slows and stops to Insider.

The smoke was from huge wildfires encompassing more than 420 fires across Canada, including massive blazes in northern Quebec.

Weather conditions carried the smoke hundreds of miles into the U.S., blanketing cities across the northeast from New York to Maryland in a thick haze. According to the National Weather Service, visibility was reduced to as little as 5 miles in Manhattan and Queens.

Travelers are already feeling the hit. “Waiting for our flight LGA and they have closed the airport due to the smoke,” tweeted one person.

Another traveler tweeted a “surreal” video of a landing at LaGuardia airport through thick, yellow haze at roughly 12:45 ET on Wednesday.

This story is developing and will be updated.