Canadian wildfires bring haze back to NYC, could last for several days
Smoke from the Canadian wildfires returned to the Big Apple this week, bringing hazy conditions that are expected to linger for a few days, forecasters said.
Light smoke could be seen in parts of New Jersey and New York City Wednesday morning as smoke from wildfires burning up in parts of Canada drifts south, according to the National Weather Service.
“You may notice hazy skies today. 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,” the agency’s New York office wrote on X.
The weather service’s New York office — covering all five boroughs, Long Island and parts of Connecticut and northern New Jersey — said the hazy conditions would likely last several days.
“Hazy skies can be expected into [Thursday] across the city and may briefly persist into Friday,” Fox Forecast meteorologist Jordan Overton told The Post.
“Air quality concerns could be possible for sensitive groups, but we’re currently not anticipating anything like what we saw last summer,” Overton said.
The air quality index in New York just before noon on Wednesday was 79, which falls under the “moderate” category.
The air quality index in New York City, Long Island, parts of Connecticut, and Newark, New Jersey, were all listed as “moderate,” while the air quality index in the Hudson Valley was “good,” according to the National Weather Service.
Some in the Big Apple even reported smelling smoke Wednesday morning. While the haze may be reminiscent of smokey days last summer, experts said the possibility of another “smokepocalypse” enveloping the city was low.
Canada marked its worst wildfire season on record last summer, as hundreds of fires forced over 235,000 people across Canada to evacuate and sent thick smoke into parts of the US.
Health advisories were issued in multiple US cities, including New York, as hazy skies brought thick smoke and even eerily orange skies.
Canadian authorities are currently monitoring fires that have rekindled since the historic firestorm of 2023, which burned more than 45 million acres.
While Canada’s wildfire season usually runs from May through September, most of the fires are reported in June and July.
With Post wires.
