Smoke from Canadian wildfires bring hazy skies to NYC; could last for days
NEW YORK CITY - Not again!
Wildfire smoke from Canada returned to NYC on Wednesday and brought hazy conditions to the region, according to the National Weather Service. The agency says to also expect similar conditions for the next few days.
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"You may notice hazy skies today," the NWS said in a post on X, formally Twitter. "It is coming from wildfire smoke, which has overspread across the area from north to south. We expect this to stick around for the next several days. Not expecting harmful impacts to air quality, at this time."
2023: Canadian wildfire smoke pours into Northeast
Last June, winds blew smoke from unchecked Canadian wildfires into the region, which led the Department of Environmental Conservation to issue an Air Quality Health Advisory for all five boroughs.
According to IQAir.com, New York City had the world's worst air quality of any major city in the world back on June 7, with an AQI rating over 350, more than twice as high as Dubai.
Air quality index: What do the numbers mean?
The numbers show how clean or polluted the air is and stands as a guideline for outdoor activities that day, especially for sensitive groups.
- 0-50: Good, with little to no risk of pollution.
- 51-100: Moderate and really is not a risk to anyone unless they're unusually sensitive to poor air quality. The national weather service will often still issue an air quality alert when we're in this range.
- 101-150: This is a risk for sensitive groups and people with asthma.
- 151-200: A risk for everyone and people who are sensitive are at risk for more severe complications.
- 201-300: Very unhealthy and a risk for everyone.
- 301+: Emergency conditions.
Air quality index NYC: Live map
This map from AirNow.gov shows the current air quality in the New York City area. Click here if you're having trouble viewing the embedded map.
How does wildfire smoke affect your health?
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.
FOX Weather contributed to this report.