Air quality advisory for Long Island, NYC metro, for Thursday, due to ozone, state officials say

The sunrise in Baiting Hollow was dampened on Wednesday morning by smoke from the Crown Recycling Facility on Youngs Avenue. Credit: Tom Lambui
State officials issued an air quality health advisory for Long Island, the New York City Metro area, and the Lower Hudson Valley due to increased levels of ozone, effective from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday.
According to a news release, the state Department of Environmental Conservation is urging people to "limit strenuous outdoor activity in the afternoon and early evening when ozone levels are the highest."
Long Island will see sunny and mainly dry conditions through Thursday and most of Friday, with temperatures reaching the mid- to high 70s, according to the National Weather Service.
Clouds will increase on Friday afternoon, when there is a 30% chance of rain, and the high will be 79, the weather service said. On Saturday, the rain chance increases to 60% and the temperature will be in the low 70s. Partly sunny skies return on Sunday, with a high near 76. Thursday to Sunday will have lows around 60, the weather service said.
Pollution from ozone is expected to exceed an Air Quality Index of over 100 on Long Island.
The air quality is considered satisfactory if the index value is between 0 and 50. A value of 51 to 100 is cause for concern for "those who are unusually sensitive to air pollution," while an index of 101 to 150 can cause health effects for "members of sensitive groups," according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Long Island's air quality on Thursday is expected to be 101.
Ozone is "produced when sunlight chemically reacts with chemicals from automobile exhaust and industrial emissions," according to the DEC. While ozone itself is not visible, it can lead to hazy skies and reduction in visibility when in high concentrations.
The DEC is encouraging New York residents to take steps to reduce pollution and save energy by: carpooling or using mass transit instead of driving; reducing outdoor burning; limiting the use of household appliance; and closing blinds and shades to help preserve cooler air.
This air quality advisory comes as the Canadian wildfires cause a hazy sky in parts of the tristate region. However, wildfire smoke is not the cause of this current DEC advisory for Long Island.
While hazy skies can be expected this week on Long Island, this is not due to the wildfires or the increased ozone levels.
The Midwest is currently facing air quality conditions that are deemed unhealthy due to the wildfire smoke.
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