Wildfire Air Quality Alert Extended To Midnight For The Hudson Valley

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — With elevated levels of smoke-driven air pollution stretching across New York, state officials extended the air quality alert to midnight Thursday.

The Hudson Valley was at "moderate" level at 10 a.m. Thursday morning, meaning members of sensitive groups may be more at risk.

"Air pollution from the smoke can cause adverse health events especially in young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and those with underlying respiratory conditions and heart disease," said Dr. Chitra Punjabi, Director of TB and Communicable Disease Control at the Rockland County Health Department, urging residents to follow preventive measures to minimize health risks.

Fine particulate matter, also referred to as PM 2.5, is the term for particles found in the air that includes dust, dirt, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets. PM 2.5 have been linked to the most serious health problems since they can travel deeply into the respiratory tract and reach the lungs. Exposure to fine particles can cause short-term health effects such as eye, nose, throat, and lung irritation, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, and shortness of breath. Exposure to elevated levels of fine particles can also worsen medical conditions such as asthma and heart disease, Rockland County Health officials said.

State forecasters said the smoke is expected to slowly move eastward with the highest concentrations of smoke-induced fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution expected across western and northern New York on Thursday. The smoke plume is expected to move out of New York more slowly than it moved in, and heavier smoke is expected to remain upstate through much of Friday.

At Gov. Kathy Hochul's direction, hundreds of thousands of high-quality N95-style masks have been made available to New Yorkers to address air quality impacts, including to counties outside of New York City from state-run stockpiles for further distribution to the public.

"As we continue to monitor air quality levels and provide communities with the information and tools they need to help prevent exposure to smoke-related air pollution, New Yorkers should remain vigilant and take steps to stay safe," she said.

Visit dec.ny.gov for updated forecasts and information about air quality index levels.

As of Wednesday, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre reported 500 active fires across the country. Since the beginning of the year, there have been 3,030.

"Though wildfires themselves are not caused by climate change, conditions that strengthen wildfires, like droughts and high temperatures, are linked to climate change," Forbes magazine reported.

Canada has about 9 percent of the world’s forests. The Canadian boreal forest, which stretches from Newfoundland and Labrador on the Atlantic Coast to northeastern British Columbia and the Yukon Territory, is the largest intact forest left in the world, according to the Natural Resources Defense Fund.

"Of the 53 new fires started on Monday, 39 were started by natural sources (primarily lightning), eight were caused by humans and six more were started by an unknown source," said Bill Deger, AccuWeather senior meteorologist.

A new record for acres burned in a year was established on Saturday.

"When the 2023 wildfire season is over, it will obliterate all other years in terms of area burned, since we still have July, August, September and October to go," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist and Canada Weather Expert Brett Anderson.