Even though the sky did not appear orange like it did earlier in the month, dangerous smog returned to the Big Apple on Thursday.
Smoke from Canada‘s raging wildfires drifted south over the past few days leaving dozens of states in the Northeast under a thick haze.
An air quality alert issued by the National Weather Service, covering New York City, Long Island and the mid-Hudson region has now been extended through Friday night, while a similar alert in New Jersey ran through Thursday night.
Officials are warning those with compromised respiratory systems, the elderly and the young to mask up and limit outdoor activities as the air quality for New York City remained above 150, in the ‘unhealthy’ category.
It is said to be even worse on the subway platforms.
Hazy conditions returned to the Big Apple on Thursday as smoke from Canada’s wildfires drifted south
The smoky conditions shrouded the sun as it set above 42nd Street on Thursday as air quality deteriorated
Smoke from wildfires in Canada shrouds lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center in a view seen from the 86th floor of the Empire State Building
The Statue of Liberty is barely seen in the smog from result of Canadian Wildfires
‘The truth is, there is no end in sight,’ New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a news conference Thursday, noting that the smoky conditions could linger on and off throughout the summer.
‘This is the new normal for New Yorkers,’ she said.
As of Thursday evening, near-surface forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows the worst of the poor air still sits west of the city — and is expected to remain there through the end of the week.
It remains unclear whether these conditions will remain in place for the July 4 holiday.
‘We don’t know what is going to happen beyond the next couple days — today will be very bad, tomorrow will be very bad,’ Hochul said.
‘We expect to see the winds start to dissipate over the next couple days. It is impossible for us at this point to predict the holiday celebrations.’
Weather forecasts have called for rain across much of the region for the remainder of the week, which if true, could counterbalance the influx of smoke by pushing particulate matter out of the air in a process called wet deposition.
In the meantime, health officials are urging those with respiratory problems to remain indoors.
‘The sensitive folks — those most vulnerable, the seniors, very young, those, perhaps with some pre-existing respiratory problems, asthma, should probably limit their time outdoors; certainly any strenuous activities outdoors,’ said meteorologist Dominic Ramunni, with the National Weather Service.
The New York City Health Department is also urging people to take precautions as the smoke is expected to ‘significantly impact’ air quality and warned it could reach hazardous levels.
And state officials announced on Thursday they will begin rolling out phone alerts to remind residents to take precautions.
The phone alerts will be sent out in areas where the Air Quality Index is above 200 for an hour or longer.
Announcements will also be made on mass transit.
An air quality alert issued by the National Weather Service, covering New York City, Long Island and the mid-Hudson region has now been extended through Friday night
The Manhattan skyline was barely visible from Staten Island amid the smoggy conditions
The New York City Health Department is also urging people to take precautions as the smoke is expected to ‘significantly impact’ air quality
As of Thursday evening, near-surface forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows the worst of the poor air still sits west of the city
But the situation may be even worse on the city’s many subway platforms, where experts say air quality may be as bad — if not worse — than it is in Canada, where there are 500 active fires, with five new ones popping up today.
‘If one was to use AQI for the subway air quality it would be very poor,’ Dr. Terry Gordon, a professor of environmental science at New York University who co-authored a study of the air quality on subway platforms, told WPIX Thursday.
‘Almost any of the underground subway stations is going to have worse air quality than what we’re expecting on a day like today. Would it be as bad as when the wildfire smoke came through, and might be coming through in the next couple days? Probably about equivalent,’ he said.
Gordon explained that New York’s subway have the worst air pollution of any transit system on the planet.
But when asked about the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s ventilation system, Chief Safety and Security Officer Pat Warren responded in a statement: ‘The MTA has been the national leader in ensuing that air quality across trains and buses in the transportation network is protected by a multi-layered filtration system that meets or exceeds American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning standards.
‘In support of the State Department of Emergency Management’s efforts to advise the public regarding state-wide air quality issues, we are helping to distribute N95 masks to the public,’ he added.
Dr. Terry Gordon, a professor of environmental science at New York University, said the air quality on subway platforms may be as bad — if not worse — than it is in Canada
Commuters were seen once again masking up as the smoke made its way to the city
According to the Forest Fire Centre, there are still 500 active wildfires burning across Canada
Some commuters were seen wearing these masks on Thursday, as nearly every province in Canada was seeing wildfires.
In total, the wildfires have already burned a record 20million acres across Canada.
‘It’s been a crazy, crazy year,’ Canadian fire scientist Mike Flannigan told NBC 4 New York. ‘Usually it’s regional… not the whole shebang at once.’
He added that the wildfire season in Canada usually doesn’t start until July, and the seasonal forecast for the rest of the summer is for ‘hot and mostly dry’ conditions, which are not conducive to dousing fires.
‘It’s a crazy year, and I’m not sure when it’s going to end.’
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk