NYC air quality: Holiday weekend forecast

Summer haze in NYC

Hundreds of wildfires are still raging in Canada and experts are saying this may be the summer of smoky haze with air quality concerns looming until winter.

NEW YORK - Smoke from wildfires in Canada is once again impacting air quality Saturday across the region, but should improve by Sunday.

In a tweet, Hochul said an air quality health advisory will remain in effect statewide through Saturday for New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley.

Weather Forecast

The air quality is moderate and temperatures will be in the 80s for the holiday weekend with a chance of rain for Sunday.

Air quality alerts remain for most of the tri-state area.

Earlier this month, smoke from the Canadian wildfires blanketed New York City with some of the most unhealthy air quality levels on the planet.Earlier this month, smoke from the Canadian wildfires blanketed New York City with some of the most unhealthy air quality levels on the planet.

How does wildfire smoke affect your health?

Wildfires cause 'unhealthy' NYC air quality

Canada is dealing with a series of intense wildfires that have spread from the western provinces to Quebec, with hundreds of forest fires burning. The smoke has traveled into the United States, resulting in a number of air quality alerts issued since May.

Wildfire smoke is a complex mixture of gases, particles, and water vapor that contains multiple pollutants that can get into the lungs and bloodstream.

There is no evidence of a safe level of exposure to some of the pollutants, meaning that smoke can impact your health even at very low levels.

Inhaling smoke from wildfires can cause headaches, sore and watery eyes, nose, throat, and sinus irritation, chest pains, heart palpitations and more.

Who should be careful?

Exposure to elevated fine particle pollution levels can affect the lungs and heart.

The air quality alerts caution "sensitive groups," a big category that includes children, older adults, and people with lung diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Kids, who often are encouraged to go out and play, "are more susceptible to smoke for a number of reasons," said Laura Kate Bender, the lung association's National Assistant Vice President, healthy air. "Their lungs are still developing, they breathe in more air per unit of body weight."

No one is immune.