Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Once again Wednesday, Air Quality Alerts are posted for the Western New York region and all of New York State as wildfire smoke blankets the sky from the Great Lakes across portions of the Northeast.
The smoke will again cause some near surface haze, bringing some minor visibility reductions at times.
As of Thursday morning, AirNow.gov indicated the air quality in Buffalo was in the 'unhealthy for sensitive groups' range.
CHECK: AirNow.gov
"Smoke from central Canadian wildfires continues to drift across the Northeast, muting the typically deep blue sky associated with Canadian air outbreaks and giving the atmosphere a hazy, almost heat wave appearance regardless of temperature," AccuWeather Meteorologist Jacob Hinson said.
The Air Quality Index (AQI) was at "unhealthy" levels on Tuesday morning in major cities, including New York City, Buffalo, Milwaukee and Cleveland. Detroit, with an AQI of 125, was experiencing one of the worst air quality levels in the world.
"Healthy individuals are likely to experience difficulty breathing and throat irritation," Plume Labs said, adding that people should consider staying indoors and rescheduling outdoor activities
AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT EDT TONIGHT
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation at Albany has issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for Fine Particulates until midnight EDT Wednesday night.
Air quality levels in outdoor air are predicted to be greater than an Air Quality Index value of over 100 for Fine Particulates. The Air Quality Index...or AQI...was created as an easy way to correlate levels of different pollutants to one scale. The higher the AQI value...the greater the health concern.
When pollution levels are elevated...the New York State Department of Health recommends that individuals consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity to reduce the risk of adverse health effects. People who may be especially sensitive to the effects of elevated levels of pollutants include the very young and those with pre-existing respiratory problems such as asthma or heart disease.
Those with symptoms should consider consulting their personal physician.