Air Quality Improved But Alert Still In Force In The Hudson Valley

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Wildfire smoke from Canada is expected to continue plaguing regions from the Great Lakes to the Mid-Atlantic, the National Weather Service said early Friday, though the air quality level is significantly improved from Wednesday.

The air in Westchester and Rockland counties is still unhealthy for sensitive groups such as babies, the elderly, and anyone with asthma, COPD or heart disease. It is classified at a "moderate" level in Ulster and Dutchess counties.

"However, pockets of denser smoke could significantly reduce air quality and lead to lowering visibility, with a wider region of light to moderate smoke leading to an opaque sky and orange sunsets/sunrises," the NWS said.

As of 7:57 a.m., AirNow.gov showed far less fine particulate matter in the region.

There is a chance of showers Friday morning and thunderstorms are possible in the afternoon across the region. A hazardous outlook has been issued for Dutchess and Ulster as some of the storms could produce small hail and gusty winds.

"Northwesterly flow around a low pressure system over the Northeast will continue the flow of smoke over the region, but should relax and eventually shift to more of a westerly direction on Saturday," the NWS said.

"New York City and areas in New England could continue to see improvement in air quality on Friday, as a shift in the winds will direct the smoke toward southern Ontario, Ohio and Pennsylvania," said Brian Lada, AccuWeather meteorologist and staff writer. However, the weekend could bring another downturn in the air quality across the mid-Atlantic and New England as smoke shifts back east.

AccuWeather's long-range forecasters predict the western United States will also see an active wildfire season, especially in the Northwest where the wildfire activity will peak in August and September.

SEE ALSO: NY Wildfire Season 'Slightly More Active Than Usual' So Far

Fueled by an unusually dry and warm period in spring, the Canadian fire season that is just getting started could well become the worst on record. More than 400 blazes burned Thursday. Over a third are in Quebec, where Public Safety Minister François Bonnardel said no rain is expected until next week and temperatures are predicted to rise, the Associated Press reported.

This week, those fires sent plumes of fine particulate matter as far away as North Carolina and northern Europe and parked clumps of air rated unhealthy or worse over the heavily populated Eastern Seaboard, the AP reported.

At points this week, air quality in places including New York, the nation’s most populous city, nearly hit the top of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s air-pollution scale, the AP said.

Such conditions are nothing new — indeed, increasingly frequent — on the U.S. West Coast, where residents were buying masks and air filters even before the coronavirus pandemic and have become accustomed to checking air quality daily in summertime. Since 2017, California has seen eight of its 10 largest wildfires and six of the most destructive, according to the AP.

In New York City, Health Department spokesperson Pedro Frisneda said emergency rooms were seeing a “higher than usual” number of asthma-related visits from the blanket of smoke, estimating patients were in the “low hundreds.”

AccuWeather recalled the bad old days in New York City — the smog events that killed hundreds of people between 1950 and 1970, the year the Environmental Protection Agency was born.

Here's the NWS daily forecast for the weekend based on southern Westchester:

Friday - Mostly cloudy. Hazy early. A slight chance of showers early, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms this afternoon. Some thunderstorms may produce gusty winds and small hail this afternoon. Highs in the lower 70s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Tonight - Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers with a slight chance of thunderstorms in the evening, then partly cloudy with a slight chance of showers after midnight. Some thunderstorms may produce gusty winds and small hail in the evening. Lows in the lower 50s. West winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Saturday - Partly sunny. A slight chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Saturday Night - Partly cloudy. A slight chance of showers in the evening. Lows in the upper 50s. West winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Sunday - Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 80s. West winds around 5 mph, becoming south in the afternoon.

Sunday Night - Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers after midnight. Lows in the lower 60s. Chance of rain 30 percent.

Monday - Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers in the morning, then showers likely in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Monday Night - Showers. Lows in the lower 60s. Chance of rain 90 percent.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.