Smoke from Canadian wildfires was still drifting south over Western New York for a fourth consecutive day, but on Thursday, it seemed the worst was over.
“Today is much improved,” said National Weather Service of Buffalo meteorologist Tony Ansuini on Thursday morning.
While air quality advisories remained in effect Thursday and were extended through today for Western New York, New York City and Long Island City, the haze over Buffalo had thinned considerably by Thursday.
After the air quality index hit 230 Thursday afternoon, a level the EPA considers “very unhealthy,” on Thursday, Buffalo’s air hovered between “moderate” and “unhealthy for sensitive groups.”
The cloud cover over Western New York was helping keep the giant plumes of smoke away from the surface Thursday.
“If it were clear right now, it would be a very different story,” Ansuini said. “So that will help us out.”
Still, the smell of smoke lingered and people’s eyes and throats and air passages were irritated after the Buffalo area – unfamiliar with the impacts of wildfires – dealt with another day of smoke-filled haze. Smoke from more than 100 wildfires in Quebec has polluted the air over a large swath of the Northeast and East Coast over the last couple of days, with Central New York and New York City experiencing unprecedented smoke that turned their skies red and prompted warnings for residents to stay inside as much as possible.
In Erie County, health officials urged residents to minimize exposure to the smoky air.
Buffalo schools announced all outdoor activities would be canceled again today.
Forecasters said that better conditions were expected late tonight into Saturday as winds shift from the north to west. Some spotty showers were also in the forecast.
In the meantime, the Erie County Health Department advised residents to consider postponing work outdoors and outdoor sports, keep children inside and make sure windows and doors are closed.
The Health Department was…
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