Smoke from wildfires in Canada is expected to drift over New York and other Northeastern states Monday, officials have warned, adding that they were anticipating slight impacts on air quality in some places.
Forecasters were expecting plumes of wildfire smoke to reach New York City around sunrise Monday and leave a visible haze, according to an update Sunday from Mayor Eric Adams.
“The impacts are projected to be mild, though New Yorkers will likely see hazy skies in the morning,” Adams said in a statement, adding that officials would update residents as the forecast solidified through the day. “New Yorkers should listen to their bodies, especially if they have any preexisting health conditions and take any necessary precautions to ensure they stay safe.”
As of 8.a.m. Eastern time Monday, the air quality was classified as unhealthy for some in Detroit and moderate in Buffalo, New York; Providence, Rhode Island; Newark, New Jersey; and Philadelphia was moderate, according to AirNow, a government air quality tracker. In New York, it was good. The National Weather Service in New York said that the smoke was expected to “remain above the surface.”
Winds blew the smoke south from hundreds of wildfires in Canada, which is experiencing a higher than average incidence of blazes this year. In its most recent update last week, Canada’s government said nearly 500 fires were burning uncontrolled, with the flames consuming about 6,496 hectares, or 16,052 acres, of land this year.
Air quality Monday in New York is expected to reach about a moderate level of 55 on the air quality index, according to a forecast from the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation. Levels above 100 mean that the quality is known to cause adverse health effects, but officials said that lower levels could still affect people who are sensitive to air pollution.
No health advisories were expected, the department said Sunday, adding that smoke in the state could become visible into Monday at high altitudes.
Air quality was expected to remain moderate in southern New England on Monday after a smoke plume on Sunday covered the region with white haze and particulate matter, causing some unhealthy levels of air quality, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management said late Sunday.