We’ll be breathing Canada wildfire smoke in Upstate NY yet again

Syracuse, N.Y. — Smoke from wildfires burning out of control in Canada will drift back into Upstate New York for a third time this season.

The state health and environmental conservation departments have issued an air quality health advisory all day Wednesday for Western and Central New York.

The worst air quality Wednesday is expected in Western New York. The state says the air there will be “unhealthy,” which means it could cause itchy eyes and respiratory problems even for people who are relatively healthy.

For Central New York, the air is likely to be “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” which means people with heart and lung conditions should avoid being outside.

The smoke won’t be as thick as what we inhaled the first week of June, when air in Central New York was considered hazardous, the highest warning level.

This time, Upstate New York will be breathing what is essentially second-hand smoke: The particles drifting our way on Wednesday aren’t coming directly from Canada, but indirectly from Michigan, where they’ve caused serious air quality issues in the past few days.

“When we had that really poor air quality (in early June), we were getting winds that were pretty much from the north and northwest, directly from the wildfires,” said Nick Bassill, a meteorologist at the University at Albany. “In this case, it’s sort of moved over the Midwest and Great Lakes towards us, so it’s had time to get diluted.”

The smoke in Upstate New York could linger into Thursday and maybe even Friday, Bassill said, but will be pushed out by the weekend as winds shift and come out of the south.

Bassill said smoke could return early next week, though, as forecasts call for winds to change again to come from the north and northwest.