Residents of New York City and the US Northeast are once again experiencing smoky air from the ongoing fires in Canada. However, experts suggest that this time, the smoke won't be as severe as before.
Earlier on Saturday, the air quality in Philadelphia to Maine showed mostly good conditions, according to AirNow.gov. Nevertheless, developments in wind patterns caused smoke to shift north, which led to a moderate-air-quality condition stretching from Newark, New Jersey, to Florida and much of the eastern US by 1:30 pm in New York.
Jim Connolly, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s office in Upton, New York, emphasized, "If the fires are still burning, it can come back. The smoke is just getting moved around. It’s not like it disappeared."
Wildfires and their toxic effects have become a regular occurrence in certain areas of Asia and the US West Coast. According to scientists, such occurrences will become more prevalent every year as climate change increases both the frequency and intensity of wildfires.
Although smoky conditions are expected to re-settle over the New York area later on Saturday night and into Sunday, Connolly claims that the air quality won't be as bad as it was recently. In previous days, the haze was so thick that buildings were barely visible in the distance, and many people stayed at home, resulting in early closures for local businesses.
The low-pressure zone off the Northeast coast, which had been stagnant for numerous days, is gradually breaking apart, causing the smoke to spread even more extensively than before. Zac Taylor, a meteorologist with the US Weather Prediction Center in Maryland, suggests that although some bouts of smoke may still occur, "Most of the smoke has dispersed," and things have generally improved in the East Coast.