NYC air quality slightly worse on Sunday as smoke from Canadian wildfires returns

Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News
·2 min read
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NEW YORK — Air quality across New York City was moderately worse Sunday as smoke caused by raging Canadian wildfires passed over the city again.

The Air Quality Index reached 110 in the late afternoon, according to online monitors, making the air unhealthy for sensitive groups after two days of “good” and “moderate” air.

“While an increase in smoke concentrations aloft will allow for some haze through (Sunday), levels will remain far below earlier in the week, with little impact at the surface,” the National Weather Service advised in a tweet.

Meteorologists said Sunday’s air was largely comparable to Friday and Saturday’s clearer skies.

“Only a couple of spots are up to levels [that are] unhealthy for sensitive groups,” AccuWeather meteorologist Scott Homan told the Daily News. “Overall, things have improved very well.”

Things were much different earlier in the week, when three days of hazardous air canceled a slew of outdoor activities across the five boroughs. LaGuardia Airport dealt with multiple ground stops, and the orange skies left people uneasy indoors and outdoors.

However, the skies cleared by Friday afternoon, allowing weekend festivities, including the Governors Ball music festival, to go on as planned if they hadn’t been prematurely canceled.

On Friday, the Air Quality Index was measured at 48 — good — and on Saturday it climbed to 94 (moderate).

While the smoke cleared because of atmospheric wind patterns, the Canadian wildfires that caused the problem continued blazing throughout the weekend. Exhausted firefighters continued battling flames in Quebec and Nova Scotia on Sunday.

Additionally, new blazes erupted in western Canada, including Alberta and British Columbia. However, those fires were not expected to impact New York anytime soon.

The air quality in the city was supposed to improve throughout the week, and forecasters did not expect the dangerous air seen Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to return in the foreseeable future.

“It looks like this trend will continue,” said Homan, noting that a cold front pushing through New York would keep any hazardous smoke up in Canada. “We’re looking good over the next few days.”