Wildfire Smoke Will Return To NYC's Skies Late Thursday: Forecasters

NEW YORK CITY — Smoke coughed up by Canadian wildfires is poised to drift into New York City's sky again — and soon, forecasters warned.

Skies above the city will fill with wildfire smoke late Thursday and into Friday, the National Weather Service's New York office tweeted.

But the world-worst air quality that plumes of smoke brought to the city last week might not return.

"The good news is that per the latest High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) Smoke model forecasts, the vast majority of the smoke should remain aloft," the weather service tweeted.

New York City's air quality index stood at 25 as of Thursday morning, firmly in the "good" category, according to IQAir.

The index last week reached record 400-plus levels in parts of the city, well above the "safe" mark of 50. The hazardous air prompted waves of mass cancelations and New Yorkers to once again don masks as they ventured outside.

Smoke this week could again lead to air quality concerns, but mostly in the Upper Midwest, forecasters with AccuWeather warned.