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NYC just got hit with an air quality alert, continuing a messy week of weather

Here’s why the skies look hazy—and what to expect next

Laura Ratliff
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Laura Ratliff
Statue of Liberty against a smoggy NYC
Shutterstock | Statue of Liberty against a smoggy NYC
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Another week, another curveball from the sky. An air quality alert has been issued for New York City and much of New York State as wildfire smoke from Canada drifts back into the region, hazing up the skyline and sending air quality levels into the unhealthy zone for sensitive groups.

According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the alert went into effect at midnight Monday and stretches through 12am Tuesday for all five boroughs, along with Westchester, Rockland, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Ulster and Sullivan counties. The Air Quality Index (AQI) is expected to exceed 100, a threshold that signals increased risk for people with asthma, heart conditions or other respiratory sensitivities.

You can thank ongoing wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, which continue to send plumes of smoke southward, for this latest batch of bad air. That smoke is now blanketing much of the Northeast—including the Hudson Valley and Central New York—with skies turning from its usual blue to milky gray. And don’t expect it to clear up immediately: Forecasters warn that smoke could linger into Tuesday and possibly Wednesday.

The Department of Health is advising anyone in sensitive health groups to limit time outdoors, particularly if you start feeling symptoms like coughing, throat irritation or shortness of breath. Even healthy New Yorkers may notice a tickle in the throat or a less-than-pleasant jog through Central Park today.

Adding to the chaotic weather week: A rare earthquake rattled Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, Saturday night. While no aftershocks have been reported yet, experts say there's still a small chance we haven’t felt the last of it.

The good news is that aside from a few rogue showers on Tuesday and Thursday, the rest of the week looks dry, sunny and relatively pleasant—just with a hazy Instagram filter applied. Temperatures are expected to hover in the low-to-mid 80s with humidity creeping up, but nowhere near last week’s swampy highs.

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