STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — For the moment, the latest Canadian wildfires are not forecast to send a dystopian, surface-level haze to the streets of New York City. However, smoke from the flames is already wafting overhead, according to Tom Kines, a senior meteorologist with AccuWeather.
“Even today (Tuesday) the sky’s got a little bit of a hazy look to it, which is from some of the smoke from those Canadian wildfires,” Kines told the Advance/SILive.com.
As of 11 a.m., the city had an air-quality index of 50, according to AirNow. The air quality is forecast to worsen before the end of the day, ultimately reaching a value of 58, which denotes “moderate” air quality.
Anything less than 50 is designated as “good.”
Under the moderate conditions forecast for Tuesday, those “unusually sensitive” to particle pollution should limit outdoor activity, as noted by AirNow.
While less than ideal, Tuesday’s conditions in New York are better than those further west.
“There’s no doubt the smoke is thickest across Wisconsin and Minnesota right now,” added Kines. “Visibilities back there are really reduced and it looks, you know, looking at web cams out there it just looks nasty.”
The smoke descending upon the U.S. originates from wildfires up in Canada, the largest of which is the Shoe Fire in central Saskatchewan, AccuWeather shared. That fire remained “out of control,” and as of Monday morning, has burned 1,490 square miles.
So what should city residents expect?
Well, according to Kines, an area of thicker smoke out in eastern Pennsylvania will gradually push eastward toward the city. That batch of smoke is forecast by Kines to hit the five boroughs sometime later Tuesday afternoon into Tuesday night.
Should that thicker smoke come through, Kines noted that it could make for a “better sunset.”
The anticipated conditions will be fleeting, as Kines said that smoke should clear out east by Wednesday.
“I guess, even if it was around first thing in the morning tomorrow I think by afternoon it would have shifted east, okay? And the skies would be more clear in the afternoon than in the morning,” Kines said.
Kines added that he does not foresee this smoke causing any health issues for residents as it is aloft and not near the surface.
While the smoke may not pose trouble for the time being, Kines did explain that the situation could change this weekend with the shift in winds.
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