Wildfires, Floods and Smoke Grip Large Parts of US

Smoke from wildfires blanketed the eastern United States on Friday, stretching from the Great Lakes to Washington DC. At the same time, floodwaters swept through the Texas Hill Country for a third consecutive day, while new fires broke out overnight in the Pacific Northwest. A total of 68 major wildfires were burning across 15 states.

Millions of Americans faced hazardous conditions as the country's extreme summer weather hit on three fronts at once: smoke in the East, flooding in the South and rapidly spreading wildfires in the West. Some communities were placed under stay-at-home orders.

Air quality in Chicago was the second worst in the world on Friday, according to IQAir, a Swiss air quality monitoring company. The conditions prompted local authorities to close parks and beaches along Lake Michigan until further notice.

(Reuters, SU)