Air quality, with smoke from wildfires drifting from Canada, expected to remain unhealthy through Thursday

Air quality is expected to remain unhealthy through midnight Thursday for the most vulnerable people as a plume of smoke from Canadian wildfires drifts to Long Island and the region, bringing tiny particles of ash, according to a state advisory in place all day.

Those at risk include those with heart or lung conditions, children and pregnant women —groups that total 3.4 million New Yorkers — the state’s top environmental official, Basil Seggos, said at a news conference Wednesday.

Satellite imagery shows conditions over Pennsylvania as of early Thursday morning that could drift towards the New York region and lower visibility to five or six miles from the typical 10 miles, said meteorologist John Cristantello of the National Weather Service.

"It won't be like what you saw a couple weeks ago," he said, but "you might see some hazy skies." It's forecast to be worse and more concentrated the farther west you go, he said.

State authorities activated a cellphone warning system to push alerts to people in case a spike in fine particulates causes a prolonged deterioration in air quality and handed out N-95 masks to commuters and residents in New York City and elsewhere.  

Due to more favorable meteorological conditions, experts said air quality is likely to be better than it was during the smoke event in early June that blanketed the area in a thick yellow haze. But Seggos said that the smoke was "moving in faster than it's moving out."    

At the same online news conference, State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald warned that air that looks clear may not be safe to breathe. "New Yorkers should remain aware of their local air quality and take necessary precautions like staying inside, reducing exposure, minimizing exertion when outdoors, and consider using an N95 mask while these unhealthy conditions persist," he said. 

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.

Smoke blanketing major cities

By Wednesday evening, an air quality map on the federal airnow.gov website showed a vast swath of America — from Minnesota in the West to Pennsylvania in the East, and Michigan's Upper Peninsula in the North to Kentucky in the South — with unhealthy air, meaning some members of the general public may experience health effects. Parts of Illinois and Ohio had very unhealthy air, meaning the risk of health effects was increased for everyone. Cities with unhealthy air included Chicago, Detroit and Pittsburgh. 

Airnow incorporates data from air monitors across North America, including monitors from New York State’s Department of Environmental Conservation, and uses a 0-500 air quality scale ranging from good to hazardous. Long Island’s air started Wednesday at good but was expected to deteriorate to 101, unhealthy for sensitive groups, by the end of the day. The Thursday forecast was for 110 on Long Island and 130 in New York City. 

Smoky conditions are dangerous because tiny particles — called PM2.5 because they are less than 2.5 microns across — can be inhaled deep into the lungs, affecting heart and lung function, worsening conditions like asthma and increasing the risk of heart attack. 

In a news release, McDonald said people who are sensitive to pollution should avoid spending time outdoors, if possible, in areas where the AQI is over 100."

Suffolk County Health Commissioner Dr. Gregson Pigott said that all residents, especially young children, seniors and those with preexisting respiratory or heart problems should "limit strenuous outdoor activity."

Forecasting July Fourth weekend

Smoke forecasts are only accurate within a 48-hour window, state officials said earlier this week, and it was not yet clear how conditions would impact a holiday weekend that typically turns Long Islands out in droves to their parks and beaches, with Jones Beach alone sometimes recording a quarter-million visitors. 

"We are monitoring conditions, and right now we do anticipate being fully open," said George Gorman, regional director for the state's Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. "Lifeguards will be on duty." All parks staffers will be issued N95 masks, and all visitors should follow Department of Health guidelines, he said. The smoke event in early June caused "a dramatic drop in attendance" at state beaches and parks, Gorman said. 

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said in a statement that county facilities would open Thursday but that the county's health commissioner was monitoring the situation.

In Babylon Town, with three ocean beaches serving town residents and their guests, town spokesman Ryan Bonner said beaches were conducting "business as usual" but that people sensitive to pollutants should consider limiting outdoor activity. 

Hochul, in a radio interview Wednesday, said it was too soon to predict how smoke could impact major fireworks displays planned for July Fourth. "If it's unhealthy for sensitive groups, then people should be self-selecting,” she said. “The majority of people would be able to come out and enjoy the fireworks. But if you are in the category of having any health concerns, then that's not a good time for you to be outdoors."

Protecting Long Island employees

Long Island employers said they were monitoring conditions to protect employees.

The Haugland Group, an energy and construction services company with Glen Cove, Greenport, Inwood, Melville, and Patchogue operations, said it would provide its employees with masks and information about mitigating risk from smoke exposure.

At Canon U.S.A. Inc.,  in Melville, “For employees working on-site, as we did when air quality was affected earlier this month, Canon will limit the flow of outside air into our facility as much as possible and will work to maintain the quality of air inside our offices. Our hybrid employees continue to work remote three days-a-week…The situation is being closely monitored,” the company said in a statement.

Meanwhile, some restaurant owners used to offering outdoor dining in the summer said they weren’t sure about this weekend. 

Gerry Sbarro, owner of Louie’s in Port Washington and Matteo’s in Huntington, said he would follow where demand leads. “The last time this happened, we didn’t have to make any decisions — no one wanted to dine outside,” he said.

Joe Pollina, a meteorologist at that National Service's Upton office, said that the coming days might be less intense than the smoke event in early June because of lighter winds and a long Midwest detour that gave the smoke time to dissipate. 

But the space agency NASA has said that longer-term climate changes are making wildfires “more common, larger and more intense.” The most recent National Climate Assessment found that climate changes have already lengthened the wildfire season and that wildfires were projected to become the main driver of concentrations of PM2.5, fine particulate matter. 

Earlier this week, NASA said that smoke from the wildfires had crossed the Atlantic Ocean and darkened skies in southwestern Europe.