Wildfire smoke prompts air quality concerns in NYC and Tri-State | Live updates

The Westchester County Health Department is urging residents to take extra precautions as a combination of extreme heat, high humidity and smoke from Canadian wildfires creates unhealthy air quality for sensitive groups.

Governor Kathy Hochul warned New Yorkers that smoke from ongoing wildfires in Canada, combined with high temperatures, will lead to poor air quality across much of the state.

The smoke is expected to move across New York throughout the day and may be visible in the sky.

"Please take this heat seriously. When it is this hot and humid, drink plenty of water, avoid alcohol, and take frequent breaks from outdoor work if it cannot be rescheduled," said Westchester County health commissioner Dr. Sherlita Amler. "Take time to cool off and spend time in air-conditioned places. Infants, those with asthma, pregnant women, older adults and those with heart disease or other respiratory or heart conditions should spend less time outdoors until the air quality improves and the temperature cools. Be mindful of possible health effects such as coughing or shortness of breath."

Maps show how the smoke will impact air quality through Friday.

State DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said they expect air quality to deteriorate throughout the day "as we continue to see impacts from wildfires."

"Throughout the day people are going to experience spikes in air quality that will be problematic, we are going to continue to see perhaps waves of poor air quality throughout the day," Lefton said. "It's going to start in western and central New York and make its way down to the Lower Hudson Valley and New York City, the entire state could and will likely see poor air quality today."

Lefton said the entire state will see visible smoke. That is not necessarily indicative of air quailty, because that might be happening at higher levels.

Mayor Mamdani posts that air quality has reached unhealthy levels