Massachusetts’ recent smoky skies and hazy sunsets may look unusual, but experts say what we’re seeing is part of a growing pattern fueled by bigger and longer wildfire seasons.

The strange haze has lingered for two days — so far — thanks to a weather pattern bringing smoke straight from parts of Ontario, Canada, straight to New England.

“A lot of the fires farther up north are burning longer and more intensely than they have previously, so that’s been a big change and may be why we’re seeing more of the smoke,” said James Urban, an associate professor in the Fire Protection Engineering Department at Massachusetts’ Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

It looks like Boston’s getting a break from the wildfire smoke that’s making the sky hazy enough that you can actually look at the sun, if briefly. But that break may not last. Plus, we’re looking at rain moving in this weekend.

He explained the nuances about how climate chance may play a role in what we’re seeing this summer.

“In general, drier conditions make things more flammable, but also, if you have a period before that of wet winter but not a lot of freezing, you may get a lot of plant growth, and then when it dries out in a drought, you get a lot of fuel that may ignite,” Urban said.

Why does smoke travel cross-country and change the color of the sky?

We went to a museum to find out more about what’s causing the unearthly images in the sky.

“With smoke, it’s driven into the air with the heat and then gets caught in the upper air current, so it travels over the mountains and comes straight across the country,” said Noreen Johnson Smith, president and CEO at Worcester’s EcoTarium.

Mass. or Mars? Photos of the eerie, rusty skies caused by Canadian wildfires

The way the sun looks has to do with how smoke scatters light.

“We’re seeing these bright orange and red suns because the blues aren’t able to reach our eyes at the moment,” said Murphy Florman, an educator at the museum.

How smoke affects air quality

An air quality alert for Massachusetts has been extended through all day on Thursday, with the Department of Environmental Protection saying in a statement, “elevated levels of fine particles [mean that] air quality statewide is expected to be unhealthy for sensitive groups.”

Massachusetts is under an air quality alert due to the Canadian wildfire smoke that’s made the skies dark and hazy and turned the sun into an “orange orb.” Here are the factors making the air hard to breathe for some and what medial professionals say about it.

Tufts Medical Center pulmonologist Dr. Sucharita Kher said that it’s important to be aware of the air quality where you live, especially if you’re going to be spending time outside. The conditions Massachusetts has been experiencing are especially harmful to those with heart or lung disease.

“The symptoms of that can be tightness in the chest, they can experience more wheezing, they can have more swelling in their airways leading them to cough more, produce more phlegm,” she said. “All of that ultimately leading to worsening symptoms of that underlying disease.”

Needham pharmacist Kevin Ryan said certain medications can help with symptoms, such as histamines like Claritin or Zyrtec, as is wearing an N-95 mask.

“If you feel like you’re doing fine outside, that’s great. If you if you don’t feel like you can breathe effectively, then limit your exposure,” he said.

Canadian wildfire, smoke map

The Gorham, New Hampshire police chief has been placed on administrative leave following the release of a video showing a physical altercation inside the police station. 

In the station’s security footage — acquired by Stephen Gregory, of Berlin, New Hampshire, who sent it to WMUR, the outlet reported — Chief Jimmy Willhoite is seen grabbing a man by the throat and shoving him against a wall. 

“Due to the allegations involving our Chief of Police, he has been placed on administrative leave while the allegations are being investigated,” Town Manager Joe Hemings said in a statement to Boston.com. Hemmings denied to comment further on the allegations. 

Gregory told WMUR that the recording captures a confrontation between him and Willhoite that escalated when the chief grabbed Gregory by the neck and pushed him against the station wall. 

Prior to the incident, Gregory was attending the annual Fourth of July carnival in Gorham with his wife and saw a man who, he says, threatened to stab him about two months earlier. 

After the man allegedly yelled at him, Gregory went to the police station to report him — and then the confrontation with Willhoite happened, Gregory told WMUR. 

The state’s Department of Justice Public Integrity Unit and NH Police Standard and Training Council is investigating the incident, Hemmings said.  

The New Hampshire Attorney General’s office told Boston.com that it would “neither confirm nor deny any potential New Hampshire Department of Justice Public Integrity Unit matter,” citing state privacy laws. 

Town officials said Gregory was arrested that night and charged with simple assault and disorderly conduct, though Gregory disputes he was arrested, WMUR reported.

“The safety of our community and the integrity of our law enforcement agencies are top priorities for the Town,” Hemmings said. “We take all allegations of misconduct seriously.”

10-minute read

• While NJ’s new e-bike law sought to curb reckless and dangerous cycling, advocates say it is impacting those on low-speed bikes the most.
• The offices of Senate President Nicholas Scutari and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin did not respond to emails with basic questions about how to interpret the new law.
• The Motor Vehicle Commission has struggled to interpret the new law with confusing and conflicting information on its website and manual for e-bike owners.

Shannon and Frank Connor tried everything to teach their son how to ride a bike eight years ago, when he was 8 years old, even signing him up for a class.

“It was so sad to watch. Frank and I went every day and then all the other kids were getting it and he wasn’t,” said Shannon Connor, whose son, Jesse, is autistic, has limited verbal skills and struggles with coordination.

Connor began to grapple with the reality that Jesse might never be able to transport himself places independently as a teen and adult.

But in 2023, he tried an e-tricycle, a three-wheeled bike, with pedals and a throttle that gives it a boost up to 20 miles per hour.

Story continues below photo gallery

The e-trike’s throttle eliminated the need to pedal and balance so he could focus on steering.

Jesse squealed with unrepressed glee the first time he tried it. “It’s just a dream come true,” Connor said. “It’s a typical boyhood experience that he never would have been able to do without this e-trike.”

E-bikes unlocked a green, healthy form of exercise and independence for a wide range of people who didn’t previously have it, including those with disabilities and seniors who benefit from the extra power when pedaling. They have expanded job opportunities for delivery workers and provided mobility to those who might not have access to a car or who lost their license.

But as e-bike sales have surged, so, too, have injuries and death.

That prompted lawmakers to revise the state’s e-bike law first written in 2019. But what resulted was a widely criticized bill rushed through a lame duck session last year. That legislation — now the strictest cycling law in the country — goes into effect July 19. Since June 26, when the Motor Vehicles Commission began registering e-bikes, it has issued more than 4,100 e-bike registrations and 250 e-bike permits.

Proponents and opponents applauded parts of the new law, such as requiring all e-bike riders to wear helmets and creating a minimum age to ride at 15.

But critics say this law goes too far in overregulating people on low-speed bikes by requiring license, insurance and registration, and not doing enough to curb those on dangerous high-speed e-bikes.

The new law created two e-bike classes.

 A “low-speed e-bike” has pedal assistance from a motor that goes up to 20 mph.

A “motorized bicycle” has four possible definitions, including an engine under 50 cubic centimeters, and it can travel up to 28 miles per hour using pedals or a throttle.

Both classes now require license and registration, and motorized bicycles must also be insured.

Education-first approach to enforcement

Montville Police Chief Andrew Caggiano has seen a drastic increase in children riding e-bikes around town — and getting hurt doing so.

“Legislation was needed and I think this was a good effort to do that,” Caggiano said. “I believe that this legislation will save lives.”

Caggiano said his department is taking an education-first approach to enforcing the new law, and will stop kids and work with parents to make sure they understand the new law, and officers will use discretion for stricter enforcement.

“That’s not going to happen forever, but we will use our discretion at the beginning to focus on educating the public on what’s legal, what’s illegal — just give people the opportunity to a get their license and get the bike registered like they’re supposed to,” he said.

The rushed and confusing changes in the new law made it difficult for both residents — and even the Motor Vehicle Commission — to interpret it and comply, which cycling advocates say has discouraged cycling in the state.

In the months since its passage lawmakers discussed a fix-it bill to address a number of issues.

But the legislature broke for summer on July 1, without passing a fix-it bill.

“I’m open to fixing if there’s issues with e-bikes, but e-bikes are proliferating all over the place,” said Senate President Nicholas Scutari, who championed the new e-bike law, on June 30. “I think we took a good first step.”

“If there are issues with it, I’m open to fixing it,” he said. “I think everyone is.”

Who will feel the law’s effect?

The e-bike law will impact a wide swath of New Jersey residents, of whom more than 1 in 10 don’t have a car, making it the third highest rate of households without a vehicle of any state.

People with suspended licenses, who might rely on an e-bike to get to work or appointments because they can’t drive, can no longer legally ride them because of the new law. Undocumented workers, who may use e-bikes as deliveristas or to get to jobs, may hesitate to register e-bikes to avoid being in national databases used by Immigration Customs and Enforcement.

In addition to requiring a license and registration, e-bike owners have to provide the Motor Vehicle Commission with six points of identity and proof of bike ownership, such as a receipt, affidavit from the current owner or notarized bill of sale.

Advocates warned that people who can’t afford cars are often those at the lowest income levels and could end up encountering police more often if e-bike riders are being stopped for license, insurance and registration, or other requirements like head lamps and a rear light.

Law puts Jesse’s e-trike in gray area

Now, at 16, Jesse Connor confidently hops on his trike to go to the park with his friends, gets ice cream at the local Carvel, and rides around to wash cars in the neighborhood for a little cash.

The local crossing guards and police in their 3-square-mile town know Jesse well. You can’t miss him with his neon vest, high-visibility helmet, Autism awareness stickers and flags affixed to the trike.

The e-trike was life-changing for Jesse, who unearthed a new level of independence that seemed out-of-reach a few years ago.

It was also life-changing for the Connors, who opened an e-bike store in Shrewsbury last year, and founded “3 Wheels from Jesse,” a nonprofit that gifts electric tricycles to people on the autism spectrum to help them get to jobs and see friends and family.

“I want to leave this Earth making it better than when we got here and, to me, giving people mobility” was the way to do that, Connor said.

But for Jesse, the state’s new e-bike law puts his e-trike in a gray area.