Orange, smoky haze caused by Canadian wildfires

The orange, smoky haze in the sky this week is caused by rampaging wildfires in Canada and the northwest winds blowing the smoke across New York State, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation and the National Weather Service.

The DEC has issued an air quality alert for the Central New York region, with the air quality spiking into the “unhealthy” category for parts of Oneida County. Some area schools and other organizations have cancelled activities because of the air quality.

“We continue to see wind blowing out of the north. It’s just bringing down copious amounts of smoke,” said Meteorologist Mark Pellerito in Binghamton.

“There are just so many fires.”

Wildfires have been burning across Canada for the past month, starting in the west and destroying more than 10,000 square miles of forests and grassland on a journey to the east. The fires in Quebec are the ones blowing smoke down into New York, with upwards of 100 fires burning in that province alone.

The DEC Air Quality Alert was in effect until early Wednesday, with a warning about the fine particulates in the air. The DEC said most of the state, especially Central New York, is in the “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” stage of fine particulates in the air.

“We’ve been watching this very closely. You can probably expect impacts to eyes, to ears, to your throat,” warned DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos.

“We’re recommending New Yorkers to limit outdoor activities, if at all possible.”

Seggos said 2023 has been a “very dry year” so far, and the DEC is also advising New Yorkers to limit outdoor burning so as to not add to the particulates in the air.

“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,” according to the alert.

“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.”

Greg Ginsberg, with the Department of Health, also warned athletes and anyone else performing vigorous outdoor activities could be at great risk.

The fine particulates in the air “can penetrate pretty deeply into our lungs,” Ginsberg warned, noting that this can also affect the heart and cardiovascular activities.

“It’s better to be inside today, as a general rule,” he stated.

According to the website www.Fire.airnow.gov, parts of Oneida County have peaked into the “unhealthy” category. This area includes Whitesboro, Utica and New Hartford. As a result, the Whitesboro and New

Hartford central school districts were among several area districts to cancel all outdoor activities for Tuesday, with many schools keeping physical education classes and recess indoors. The city of Utica also cancelled all sports activities Tuesday at its outdoor venues, including all softball and soccer games and practices.

Meteorologist Pellerito said the smoke and haze will have a small effect on the weather.

“It won’t have any direct effect on the weather, other than perhaps keeping the sunshine from reaching the ground. This will knock a couple of degrees off the temperature,” Pellerito stated. “We’ll probably be dealing with the smoke for the next few days, if not the next several days.”

Pellerito said the winds from the northwest and Canada will stop by the weekend, and the change in wind direction should help dissipate the smoke. The chance for rain will also increase after Sunday, he noted.