Wildfire smoke from hundreds of fires burning in Quebec continued to bring irritation and concern for New Yorkers this week. Is this our new normal? 

On Thursday, smoky and hazy conditions will be most noticeable in areas west and south areas in New York State. There is some good news for Eastern New York as an Air Quality Alert continues today; the smoky skies will gradually decrease from north to south because of a trough moving down from New England.

Here's what the air quality report is showing for our area today:

A trough of low pressure has backed down over the state bringing clouds and occasional rain showers. Any rain showers that transpire are a benefit in multiple ways, as they not only moisten the air and ground, but they also aid in cleaning the air of smoke particulates. Showers will be scattered through the next couple of days.

A northerly breeze and another plume of smoke headed down from thenorth is forecast to impact o Western and Southern New York today then continue to head south through Pennsylvania to the Mid Atlantic States, while lesser smoke conditions develop in Eastern New York and in the Adirondacks to New England.

Air Quality Index

According to the state DEC, Air Quality Health Advisories are in effect for Long Island, NYC metro, lower Hudson Valley, upper Hudson Valley, eastern Lake Ontario, central and western regions.

Unlike the plumes of smoke way up high that we saw a few weeks back, the current downwind features of our weather pattern are drawing the smoke to the surface. Wildfire smoke that can blow overhead with little fanfare has now taken a dive from 2,000 feet in the sky to the ground level.

Patience is a virtue

There is some good news about a gradual shift in the steering winds of the jet stream going from north to west by Friday and especially over the weekend. This subtle shift in wind direction with the next trough that brings additional showers back to the northeast United States will benefit us, as greatly less smoky air returns.

Good News: A new trough slips over New York from the Great Lakes on Monday and Tuesday. This system brings rain showers and a wind shift that could keep the smoke away for a short time. A few chances for rain showers also roll through Canada, but there is concern that it may not be enough widespread rainfall to make a big impact on tampering out the hundreds of brush fires.

We will surely keep an eye on the latest smoke forecasts and the Air Quality Index in the weeks to come as wildfires continue to burn not far away from us.

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