NYC air quality concerns continue as New Jersey wildfire burns
New York City is under an Air Quality Health Advisory on Thursday as the wildfire in Ocean County, N.J. continues to burn.
The advisory is in effect until midnight.
NYC under air quality advisory
New York City isn't the only area impacted by the wildfire smoke. A hazy sky hovered over the entire region. A National Weather Service Air Quality Alert covered New York City, Long Island, and even Central New York.
"Smoke itself is a big irritant that just goes into the lung and causes inflammation. So there could be many things that people are breathing in that could affect people differently, " Dr. Swapnil Patel of Jersey Shore Medical Center said.
With summer-like weather Thursday, people were out trying to enjoy the day, even as the Air Quality Index, or AQI, reached levels considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, like those with asthma, COPD, children and older adults.
"When these advisories are issued, that really is a sign that you need to start paying attention," New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol said. "Itchy throat, trouble breathing, you're outside for long periods of time and then you start to feel some symptoms, make sure you're going inside."
The Air Quality Alert isn't a call for everyone to stay inside, but rather to remain cautious and aware, even when staying inside.
"We smelled it in the house. We did feel it a little bit, so we did close the windows. We had them open because it was such a beautiful day," Freehold resident Maxine Grank said.
David Paredes and his friends were out enjoying the day, But since Paredes has asthma, he stayed cautious.
"Kind of feels like you have a powder in your throat, or it gets hard to breathe. Like, the airways and stuff, they get kind of clogged," Paredes said.
Patel recommends keeping an eye on at-home air filtration devices, and making sure their internal filters are changed.
"The higher quality filters are going to do a better job of course, so you want to look at the quality of filter you have. But make sure you change it, especially after a fire episode, just to make sure the air inside of your house stays clean as well," Patel said.
What's in the forecast
As the Jones Road Fire continues to ravage portions of Ocean County, smoke and haze will be sent northward through early Saturday. While skies won't be completely hazy at all times, winds will have a southerly component to them, bringing periods of moderate to thick haze.
Through the overnight hours into Friday morning, a bit of break in the haze may occur, but by Friday afternoon and evening another surge is likely as wind speeds increase. Due to the waxing and waning of the haze/smoke, air quality levels will remain moderate, and could even become unhealthy for sensitive groups at times. Air quality will greatly improve on Saturday as beneficial rain moves in.
Weatherwise, our June-like weather pattern is expected to last until Saturday. For Thursday night, aside from the haze, it looks to be a clear night, with lows in the 50s to near 60. Temps rise even further on Friday, with highs in the upper 70s to mid 80s, except for coastal areas that will remain in the 60s.
Clouds will start roll in by late Friday afternoon, signaling the arrival of our next rain chance, which will begin late Friday night. Right now, it appears that the heaviest and steadiest rain will occur in the overnight hours of Friday, with subsequent rounds of showers and thunderstorms lasting through Saturday afternoon. The rain could be heavy at times, totaling between .75-1" before ending Saturday evening. Following the end of the rain, cooler temperatures and breezy conditions will move in for Saturday night and Sunday.
