Here We Go Again: Canadian Wildfire Smoke Returns to Upstate New York

The entirety of New York State is under an air quality alert due to smoke billowing in from the raging Canadian wildfires.

Summer 2023 was memorable because of one thing: the Canadian Wildfires. The thick, pungent smoke painted the skies gold and partially obscured the sun. Not only did the smoke make it look slightly apocalyptic outside, it also made it reek of campfire.

Because of this, New York State became one of the places on earth with the most dangerous air quality.

Check out this timelapse of wildfire smoke invading the Big Apple.

So far this year hasn't been anywhere near a repeat of last summer... until now. To be fair, we were warned a few months ago that we should expect something.

Read More: When Will Canadian Wildfire Smoke Come back to Upstate NY?

Air quality alerts have already been issued for parts of New York State, especially in the southern region, due to smoke from the raging wildfires in southwestern Canada.

According to forecasters, winds blowing from the north are drawing in smoke to the mid-and-upper levels of the atmosphere.  It's expected the smoke will linger over the state for at least the next several days.

The good news, as weird as it is to say, is that the conditions will be nowhere near as dangerous as 2023's. Currently, the air quality across New York is deemed moderate.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation explained at that level, "Air quality is acceptable. However, there may be a risk for some people, particularly those who are very sensitive to air pollution."

It's advised at this time that those who are very sensitive to air quality should limit their outdoor activities. For everyone else, the DEC said, "It's a great day to be outside."

For those who are worried about their health, experts say wearing a mask can help filter out potentially harmful air particles.

It's also advised to switch your car's A/C to recirculate the air from inside the cabin then drawing air from the outside.

Air Quality Levels are determined by pollution levels, with scores between 51 to 100 deemed "moderate" while those between 101 to 150 are "unhealthy for sensitive groups."

Central and Western New York have the lowest amount of fine particles in the air while the Upper Hudson Valley and NYC Metro have it the highest.

NYC and the Upper HV both had scores in the 80s on Wednesday, August 14.

At the moment, it's not expected for conditions to go near what we endured last year, but forecasters warn that things can deteriorate if the fires intensify.

You can track all the wildfires burning in Canada through this interactive map, courtesy of Natural Resources Canada.

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