NEW YORK – Hazardous wildfire smoke billowing into the U.S. from Canada has millions of New Yorkers under air quality alerts as the thick smoke leaves an eerie haze in the sky.
Of the 400-plus wildfires burning right now in Canada, the ones in Quebec affect New York City the most.
The AQI ranges from 0 to 500 and has six color-coded categories to correspond to a different level of health concern, according to AirNow.gov. Lower numbers equate to better air quality, and higher numbers equate to poorer air quality.
As wildfire smoke continues to filter into the U.S., most of New York state has been placed into “unhealthy” and “very unhealthy” levels on the Air Quality Index. However, northwestern New York state is currently experiencing air quality levels in the “hazardous” range – the highest alert level on the scale.
WHAT IS THE AIR QUALITY INDEX?
Niles, New York, for example, has an air quality index of 351 – considered hazardous.
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New York City is being hit especially hard by the wildfire smoke, with the Air Quality Index reaching over 210 on Tuesday evening. It’s a situation is so bad, that the Big Apple hasn’t experienced this level of dangerous air quality levels in nearly 40 years.
NEW YORK YANKEES SEE SMOKE-FILLED SKIES FOR START AGAINST CHICAGO WHITE-SOX
The eerie, smoky scene showed the smoke-filled Yankee Stadium before players took the field Tuesday evening. The thick haze hung around throughout the game.
The National Weather Service has issued Air Quality Alerts across New York State, including New York City, Albany, Syracuse and Buffalo.
WHY YOU SHOULD AVOID REFUELING YOUR CAR OR GRILLING DURING UNHEALTHY AIR QUALITY
However, the Air Quality Alerts aren’t just limited to New York state. Air Quality Alerts are in effect for 114 million Americans from New England to the Carolinas.
WHY WILDFIRE SMOKE IS TURNING THE MOON RED
Cities along the East Coast are reporting the worst air quality in the country. The AQI has reached hazardous levels in update New York, with Niles reporting a level of 351.
Very Unhealthy AQI levels are also reported in cities such as Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Kent County and Rolling Meadows, Delaware, and Eastern Lake Ontario, New York.
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A regular assessment of air quality in the United States started in 1976, about six years after the Environmental Protection Agency was created.
According to AirNow.gov, the law requires any metropolitan area with a population of more than 350,000 to report air quality daily.
The Air Quality Index s we know it today was released in 1999, according to AirNow.gov. It has gone through several updates over the years, but the goal has always been the same — to offer people an easy-to-understand daily report about the air they’re breathing and indicate what air quality is dangerous.