Dangerous air quality hits New York as brush fires erupt in #Northeast

Firefighters battled brush fires in #NewJersey and Brooklyn.

ByIvan Pereira
November 9, 2024,

"#NewYorkCity officials issued an air quality alert Saturday morning amid several #brushfires burning in the U.S. northeast, including one in #Brooklyn's largest park the previous night.

The city's Office of Emergency Management said the Air Quality Index (#AQI) is forecast to reach 101-150 on Saturday. Under those conditions, the air is not safe for people with sensitive breathing issues and the elderly, according to the federal government's #AirNow resource."

Read more:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/dangerous-air-quality-hits-new-york-brush-fires/story?id=115696563

#Wildfires #NortheastWildfires #ClimateDiary #ClimateCrisis #AirQuality #NewYork #NewJersey

In other news, here are some #weather websites that I visit frequently -- some of them very useful when it comes to #wildfires and #AQI...

#ZoomEarth | Live Weather Map & Hurricane Tracker
https://zoom.earth/

National Weather Service [#NWS]
https://www.weather.gov/

World Weather Map - Interactive weather map.
https://map.worldweatheronline.com/

#Windy: Wind map & weather forecast
https://www.windy.com/

#AirNow Fire and Smoke Map
https://fire.airnow.gov/

World's Air Pollution: Real-time Air Quality Index [#WAQI]
https://waqi.info/

#ClimateChange #Weather #Wildfires #AirQuality #WorldWeather #Climate
#ExtremeWeather

The #AirNow #Fire and #Smoke Map provides information that you can use to help protect your health from #wildfire smoke.

New in Version 4

"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [#EPA] and the U.S. #ForestService are pleased to bring you this updated AirNow Fire and Smoke Map, with even more information you can use to protect yourself from wildland fire smoke. In addition, this version features an updated display that allows you to get a quick glance at information, tailored user interfaces for both desktop and mobile, and faster loading.

How To Use This Map

"The AirNow Fire and Smoke Map provides information that you can use to help protect your health from wildfire smoke."

Map:
https://fire.airnow.gov/

More info:
https://www.airnow.gov/

#ClimateChange #ClimateCrisis #Drought #WildfireSeason #Wildfires #Smoke #AirQuality #AirQualityAlert #AirIsLife #AQI

#NorthShore brush fires sent smoke to #Boston — and eluded #AirQuality readers

Story by Steph Solis
October 28, 2024

"The smoke from brush fires around #Salem wafted over Boston on Monday, puzzling residents who got no indication of it from air quality readings on their phones.

"Why it matters: As #ClimateChange makes wildfires more likely and severe in the U.S., #Massachusetts residents will have to learn to detect the signs and protect themselves.

"Catch up quick: Firefighters are battling brush fires across #Salem, #Peabody and #Lynn, sending smoke as far south as Foxborough.

"More than 130 acres of brush have burned since Saturday, NBC Boston reported.

"Between the lines: Smoke inhalation can harm people with all sorts of health conditions, from those with asthma and emphysema to heart attack survivors.

"It's especially risky for children, whose lungs are still developing, says Anthony Wexler, director of the Air Quality Research Center at UC Davis.

"Multiple studies show air pollution can hurt lung development.

"How it works: The smoke smell caught locals' attention in the morning, as opposed to Monday afternoon, because smoke stays close to the ground after the Sun sets, Wexler says.

Once the Sun rises, it warms up the ground and mixes low-lying air with cleaner air above, causing the smoke to dissipate as the day progresses.

"Yes, but: The smoke didn't show up on some air quality readings, like the ones on iPhones.

"That's because the state and federal governments only have a few air quality monitors in a given community. If a plume of smoke passed through your neighborhood but missed the monitor, the reading will end up lower.

"Commercial air quality readers like #PurpleAir monitors are inexpensive and more common, so they can give better readings, Wexler notes.

"#AirNow, the federal government's service, also has better readings on its smoke and fire map."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/north-shore-brush-fires-sent-smoke-to-boston-and-eluded-air-quality-readers/ar-AA1t5kzf

#AirIsLife #WildfireSeason
#ExtremeDrought #ClimateCrisis #NorthShoreOfMassachusetts
#EssexCountyMassachusetts
#SalemMA #MiddletonMA #LynnMA

#Salem High School dismisses early as brush fires cause unhealthy air quality

Tuesday morning was the worst the air quality has been since the first significant fire broke out in Salem, based on data from the EPA

By Thea DiGiammerino and Alysha Palumbo
Published October 29, 2024

"''The fire itself is not the danger. It’s the air quality this morning,' said Chris O’Donnell, Salem Public Schools Director of Communications. 'As we arrived on campus this morning we could smell quite a bit of smoke. There’s always initial concern but we made it clear that the fire is not the danger.'

"According to the Environmental Protection Agency's #AirNow Fire and Smoke Map, air quality in Lynn had reached #HazardousLevels - over 300 PPM - early Tuesday morning, the worst alert level listed and considered an emergency. As of mid-morning it had dropped into the 'very unhealthy' level - between 201 to 300 PM - a category where the risk of health effects is increased for everyone. Levels may fluctuate depending on the fires and weather conditions. The public is advised to limit outdoor activities when possible.

"This is the second day of air quality concerns from the fire. On Monday the smell of smoke was strong all over the #Boston area due to a weather phenomenon called #inversion. That's when warm air traps cool air and smoke close to the ground, and that can be a concern for air quality because #wildfire smoke has been shown to carry #pollutants."

https://www.necn.com/news/local/air-quality-at-very-unhealthy-levels-across-north-shore-due-to-brush-fires/3373021/

#AirLisLife #WildfireSeason
#ExtremeDrought #ClimateChange
#ClimateCrisis #NorthShore
#NorthShoreOfMassachusetts
#EssexCountyMassachusetts
#SalemMassachusetts #AirQualityAlert

Welcome for #Friday, July 5th here in #Asheville. The NWS keeps flirting with rain forecasts, but of course it never clears the mountains and actually arrives here. (Forecast high of 90F with thunderstorms.)

Big issue this morning is air quality, which at CzarBucks Corporate Headquarters was reported at 93. (Yet Buncombe County is still allowing open burning.)

If you're out today, please hydrate, and be "careful" of the air, however one can.

#Airnow.gov #AQI

According to #AirNow,
a coalition between the U.S. government and tribal agencies that monitors air quality,
Friday's air quality was expected to be the worst
in southern California and southern Nevada, eastern Texas, and in parts of Mississippi and Tennessee

https://c.im/@cdarwin/112587900686373102

fire.airnow.gov

Here comes #smoke season. I know folks in the northwest & midwest don't need any PSAs about this, but for east coasters, a reminder that near-realtime air quality monitoring is available at https://www.airnow.gov (the fire and smoke map is at https://fire.airnow.gov/). Canada's version is at https://weather.gc.ca/airquality/pages/index_e.html.

The #EPA updated air quality standards and the Air Quality Index (#AQI) this year, lowering fine-particle (PM2.5) thresholds at a couple of breakpoints on their scale; more details here: https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-02/pm-naaqs-air-quality-index-fact-sheet.pdf

#airpollution #wildfire #airnow #n95 #masks