Long Island weather forecast: Rain could clear smoky air Monday

Showers and a potential thunderstorm on Monday afternoon could clear out the haze from Canadian wildfires and improve air quality index levels on Long Island, weather experts said.

Monday morning’s Air Quality Index is expected to remain around moderate levels, as smoke from the Canadian wildfires blew back into the region over the weekend. Monday’s Air Quality Index is expected to be at 55 across Long Island, according to data from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Weather experts, however, said that a cold front through the area could improve air quality levels.

“Into the evening we’ll probably deal with a little bit of showers and a thunderstorm activity around the area, and once that front moves through we’ll start to see the smoke clear out from the skies, at least into midweek and potentially into the late week,” National Weather Service meteorologist Dominick Ramunni said on Saturday.

After Tuesday, Ramunni said, the air levels should improve with little to no smoke in the forecast.

When index levels are at moderate levels, there may be some health concern for a portion of individuals who are sensitive to air pollution, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. The cold front could push air conditions into the good category, where air pollution poses little to no risk, according to the DEC.

Smoke from the Canadian wildfires poured into the region last week and covered the area in an unhealthy orange haze that caused parts of Long Island to have “very unhealthy" and "hazardous" air quality levels.

Ramunni noted that if the fires continue to burn in Canada there is potential for smoky conditions to return to the region. He said the sinking air motion kept the haze closer to the surface, resulting in the air quality level Long Islanders saw last week.

“It’ll be difficult to predict further out more than a few days, but the potential is certainty there to deal with smoke through the remainder of the summer as long as these fires continue to burn,” Ramunni said.

With Tara Smith

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.