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More smoke is coming to NYC, but it may be mild
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Jun 16, 2023
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By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Jun 16, 2023
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More smoke will be headed into the New York area Friday though the weekend, but meteorologists say it will stay at a high level and won’t come anything close to the orange phenomenon the New York area experienced last week.
Meteorologist Bill Goodman from the National Weather Service station on Long Island said the agency is tracking a “plume of smoke” from the Canadian wildfires that’s coming south.
For the most part, it will stay about 6,000 feet above ground level— causing hazy skies and red sunrises. Some of the smoke will already be visible on Friday morning.
The highest concentration of smoke should be over New York on Saturday, towards the later afternoon and evening, Goodman said.
Caution is advisable, but panic is not.
“If you’re sensitive to smoke, if you have respiratory issues or heart issues, it may be good to avoid being outside,” Goodman said, noting that the Air Quality Index could climb to levels over 100 for just those few hours. By comparison, on Wednesday of last week, the AQI hit 484 at its peak.
He emphasized that the apocalyptic smog of last week is not in this weekend’s forecast.
“That was really a rare combination of events that led to that smoke being very concentrated. We don't see anything like that happening Saturday afternoon or night," he said.
As far as when the smoke will clear out again, it’s hard to say.
“The trajectory is a little uncertain,” Goodman said. “I’ve seen model forecasts disagreeing on exactly where the most concentrated smoke is going to go. It’s very sensitive to whatever the winds happen to do during that time frame.”
The forecast for Friday evening also calls for rain, some of which will continue into Saturday and could also help clear the air.
Goodman struck an optimistic note about local air quality in New York, compared to when he was a kid growing up in the Bronx in the 1970s.
“The forecast would be ‘hazy hot and humid.’ Smog would be a frequent occurrence in the city back in the ‘70s. Maybe the fact that we only have to worry about this a few times a year is a testament to how we’ve improved the air quality over time,” he said.
But the long-term effects of climate change have exacerbated wildfire conditions here and in Canada, where so far more than 13 million acres have been engulfed — a landmass roughly twice the size of New Jersey.
And while the New York City region has enjoyed decent air quality in recent days, the smoke has shifted to the American midwest where states like Minnesota and Wisconsin are currently bearing the brunt. Minneapolis on Wednesday recorded its worst air quality since records began.
Scientists and fire experts warn that these conditions have gotten progressively worse in recent years and could be a more perennial problem in years to come.
Historical air quality data for cities around the country from 1990–2022 can be viewed on the Environmental Protection Agency’s website.
Tagged
NYC air quality
wildfire
national weather service
canada
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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