Air quality alerts issued as AQI nears ‘hazardous' levels from Canadian wildfire smoke

Remember the smoke from the Canadian wildfires that turned New York City and the rest of the area into a "Dune"-like scene? Well, it's back.

But no need to fret yet, it won't be nearly as bad as it was in June. Though some people may need to take precautions.

An air quality alert was issued for the entire state, as the Air Quality Index (AQI) levels are expected to reach "unhealthy" levels for Upstate areas. For spots closer to NYC, the ACI topped 100, making it "unhealthy for sensitive groups."

The city's Office of Emergency Management said going into the day that the AQI would reach 120. By 2 p.m., the AQI in the city was at 147, according to airnow.gov, falling just a hair below the "hazardous" level from 150-200 that is unhealthy for all populations. Levels went down as the afternoon wore on, thankfully.

"New Yorkers should once again prepare for smoke from the wildfires in Western Canada to impact our state's air quality this week," New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said. "To help everyone stay informed and safe, we are activating emergency notifications on our roads and public transit systems and making masks available to counties for distribution. As forecasts continue to evolve, I encourage New Yorkers to stay up to date on the latest information and take the necessary precautions to protect yourselves and your loved ones."

Given the elevated smoke conditions, the state advised that strenuous outdoor activity levels be limited, particularly for children and those with health conditions. NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said that even though Monday was nowhere near as bad as the AQI of 484 from June — the day the sky turned orange — it’s plenty uncomfortable for those with underlying conditions.

Why is the smoke impacting us yet again? After yesterday's storms that swept through the tri-state during the morning hours, the winds turned to the southwest and west, pushing plumes of smoke over New York, according to the governor's office. That will lead to elevated levels of smoke-enhanced fine particulate matter (PM2.5) throughout the region.

As for when the wildfires could eventually end, it's out of human hands, according to New York State Forest Ranger Gary Miller.

"Mother Nature would be the only way to put this thing out. It’s just too dry up there," said Miller, part of a team of forest ranger who went up to Canada to try and get the wildfires under control.

Fire experts told NBC New York that if it was not for the intensive firefighting efforts, the air quality right now would be worse.

The governor's office said that forecasts show the smoke will slowly clear out of the state on Tuesday, though it's possible the air quality alerts extend through that time if the smoke (or ozone levels) rise to similar levels.

The air quality alert comes amid one of the most humid stretches of the year so far, and Monday won't be any different. It's going to feel downright tropical, as temperatures near 90 degrees and humidity levels through the roof, bringing heat indices into the mid 90s.

After a dry Monday, storms come back into the picture Tuesday. While there are no severe threats expected as of now, any rain that does fall in places like the Hudson Valley or western New Jersey that have been hit with heavy rains in the past week could see more issues with flooding.

See below Storm Team 4's exclusive 10-day forecast: