New York City air quality today: Here's when Canadian wildfire smoke could be the worst
NEW YORK CITY - Canadian wildfire smoke returned on Thursday morning to New York City, prompting the National Weather Service (NWS) to issue an air quality alert for parts of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
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NYC air quality map: A look at where smoke is the worst
FOX 5 NY's Mike Woods joined Dan Bowens on Newsroom Live to talk about the air quality in New York City and the latest on the smoke from the Canadian wildfires.
City officials opened cooling centers as health officials urged New Yorkers to limit strenuous and prolonged outdoor activities and to stick to air-conditioned spaces as much as possible.
NYC air quality: Here's when smoke will be the worst l Timeline
FOX 5 NY's Mike Woods breaks down when smoke will be the worst in the New York City area.
State officials distributed tens of thousands of face masks designed to filter out 95% of tiny airborne particles, including dust and smog, at the city’s Penn Station and Grand Central transit hubs and other major locations.
Why is the air quality so bad today?
The backstory:
A massive outbreak of Canadian wildfires is sending plumes of smoke all the way down to the New York City region, impacting air quality, according to the NWS.
Air Quality Alerts (FOX Weather)
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said public schools, parks and other city agencies were adjusting programming, moving activities indoors, rescheduling events and adjusting operations as air quality was expected to worsen as the day progressed.
Current air quality NYC: Map
Local perspective:
This map from AirNow.gov shows the current air quality in the New York City area. Click here if you're having trouble viewing the embedded map.
What air quality is dangerous?
By the numbers:
The numbers show how clean or polluted the air is and stand as a guideline for outdoor activities that day, especially for sensitive groups.
- 0-50: Good, with little to no risk of pollution.
- 51-100: Moderate and really is not a risk to anyone unless they're unusually sensitive to poor air quality. The national weather service will often still issue an air quality alert when we're in this range.
- 101-150: This is a risk for sensitive groups and people with asthma.
- 151-200: A risk for everyone and people who are sensitive are at risk for more severe complications.
- 201-300: Very unhealthy and a risk for everyone.
- 301+: Emergency conditions.
Why is there an air quality alert today?
Why you should care:
The air quality alerts caution "sensitive groups," a big category that includes children older adults, and people with lung diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The New York State Department of Health recommends individuals consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity.
NYC air quality alert: How concerned should you be?
Smoke from Canadian wildfires returned to the New York City area, prompting air quality alert for parts of NY, NJ and CT. FOX 5 NY's Robert Moses has the details.
Air quality index NYC
Dig deeper:
For today's air quality index forecast for New York state, click HERE.
To check the air quality in your area, click HERE.
Big picture view:
Detroit’s air quality was among the worst in the world for major cities, as a lingering high pressure system trapped smoke from dozens of fires in Canada and northern Minnesota and winds from the northwest blew it into Michigan, said Steven Freitag, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Pontiac, Michigan.
Some other cities across the Great Lakes states also registered air quality ranging from unhealthy to hazardous.
Will the air quality improve tomorrow? FOX Weather live updates
2023: Canadian wildfire smoke pours into Northeast
In June 2023, winds blew smoke from unchecked Canadian wildfires into the region, which led the Department of Environmental Conservation to issue an Air Quality Health Advisory for all five boroughs.
According to IQAir.com, New York City had the world's worst air quality of any major city in the world back on June 7, with an AQI rating over 350, more than twice as high as Dubai.