Friday's air will still contain Canadian wildfire smoke, state says, but Long Island conditions better than early June

The plume of smoke from Canadian wildfires is expected to hover over New York State on Friday, causing air quality conditions on Long Island that could be unhealthy for people with asthma and other chronic conditions.

But the smoke and pollution is not expected to reach the dangerously high levels they did earlier this month. Forecasters at the National Weather Service say the smoke is less intense this time because the winds are not pushing it into the area directly from the wildfires.

For most of Thursday, many parts of Long Island still had air quality considered "moderate" but that had deteriorated to “unhealthy for sensitive groups” by the evening.

"The numbers at this moment do not seem to be trending to be as high as they were three weeks ago when the skies were literally orange," Gov. Kathy Hochul said during a briefing on Thursday afternoon. "But there are still significant public health risks."

Air quality alert extended

The state extended the air quality health advisory into Friday, While Long Island and New York City are expected to stay in the range of unhealthy for sensitive groups, other parts of the state, such as in central and western New York, will see air quality that is unhealthy for everyone.

The wind is also expected to dissipate over the next couple of days, Hochul said, but it's too soon to know what the conditions will be during the July Fourth holiday.

Hochul urged people to use tools such as AirNow.gov, which allows users to check air quality by ZIP code in real time, before deciding whether to engage in outdoor activities.

"This is the new normal for New Yorkers.," she said. "It's going to be important for people to stay vigilant."

Forecasters are monitoring the amount of fine particulate pollution, known as PM 2.5, which is carried by the wildfire smoke. When inhaled, these particles can cause short-term health effects such as coughing, watery eyes and a runny nose. But for people with lung and heart conditions, inhaling these particles can trigger asthma attacks and other health problems.

"We have organic compounds, we have particulate matter, which are real irritants to the lungs," said Dr. Jeffrey Wolf, a pulmonologist and director of the surgical intensive care unit at St. Francis Hospital in Flower Hill. "We worry about the people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or any underlying lung disease. But with the last episode we had people who were feeling it and they didn't have any lung disease."

Wolf said everyone should limit their time outside when the air quality is poor. Those who have to be outside should wear a mask.

An air quality index of 0-50 for PM 2.5 is considered “good” air quality, while 51-100 is labeled “moderate.” Once the air quality index exceeds 101, it is considered unhealthy for certain groups up until 150. Anything between 151-200 is “unhealthy,” followed by 201-300 as “very unhealthy.” An air quality index above 301 is deemed “hazardous.”

"If your numbers are over higher than 200, it's very unhealthy or even hazardous," Hochul said. "And everyone in those scenarios should stay inside or be masked."

The state is offering free masks at several locations including Jamaica Station, Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station.

The current state Department of Environmental Conservation forecast for Friday shows a predicted air quality index of 120 for Long Island and of 135 in New York City, which falls in the "unhealthy for sensitive groups" category.

Different weather conditions

The current weather conditions are much different from those that brought the Canadian wildfire smoke more directly into the New York area earlier this month, according to Nelson Vaz, warning coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service in New York.

"There was an area of low pressure over the southeastern Canada, northern New England area and behind it were these strong north westerly wind that were basically transporting the smoke from the origin of the fire right down into our area," Vaz said, "So it was kind of a direct trajectory. Those winds were pushing the heart of the smoke right down into our area and we were stuck in that pattern for a couple of days."

The wind trajectory has been pushing the smoke into the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley areas in recent days, he said.

"Our winds have been coming from a southerly direction, so not from the source of the fires," Vaz said.

Vaz said while the smoke plume is not moving out of the area, it's becoming more diluted because it is not being fed by the fires.

Air quality index

The map below shows real-time air quality index figures across the United States, updated hourly according to the federal website airnow.gov. The map shows the levels of particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5), which are tiny particles or droplets in the air that are 2½ microns or less in width. The different colors shown on the map indicate if these levels have reached unhealthy levels, with yellow being “moderate,” orange being “unhealthy for sensitive groups” and red “unhealthy” for all groups. Zoom in and out, and search for specific locations using the buttons at the bottom.

Since spring, smoke plumes from the worst wildfires in Canadian history, which have forced thousands to evacuate their homes, have been drifting to the United States. There were 503 active fires as of Thursday afternoon, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre, with 106 in Quebec. Officials said 245 of those fires were deemed out of control.