NYC air quality alert today due to N.J. wildfire smoke. Maps show why.
An air quality alert is in effect Thursday for New York City, Long Island and the lower Hudson Valley due to smoke from the Ocean County, New Jersey wildfire.
The Jones Road Wildfire rages on in South Jersey, and the smoke could impact our area for the next few days.
The wildfire is located in Ocean and Lacey townships in Ocean County. With about 50% of the fire contained as of Thursday morning, smoke continues to billow across the state.
The prevailing winds are shifting to the south, so we could be exposed to fine particulate matter.
Air quality alert for NYC area today
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for New York City on Thursday.
The agency says the city's Air Quality Index (AQI) is forecast to reach Level Orange (AQI between 101-150), which is considered unhealthy for people in sensitive groups, such as adults over 65, children younger than 14, pregnant women, outdoor workers and people with underlying conditions, like heart or lung disease, or asthma. They are encouraged to reduce strenuous outdoor activities.
New York City's Emergency Management Department says it is also working with the National Weather Service to assess potential impacts.
Ocean County, N.J. wildfire smoke maps
Here's a look at what we're expecting from the smoke, based on the prevailing winds.
So, what does that all mean? Well, two things come to mind: Reduced air quality and hazy skies.
The real question is, how well will the fire be contained in the coming days?
Rain in the forecast this weekend
Given the warm, ample sunshine, low relative humidity and lack of rain in the forecast, the firefighting effort will remain challenging.
However, since the winds will be in check, there is only a low to medium risk for rapid wildfire spread through Thursday.
The other good news is we're expecting rain by the weekend, which would help with any ongoing firefighting effort.
We're tracking showers and isolated thunderstorms Saturday, and there may even be some localized flooding.
