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As smoke continues to filter into the Northeast from wildfires in Canada, the air quality in Syracuse reached “hazardous” on Wednesday, the worst level on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s air quality index.

Syracuse University’s Department of Public Safety issued a warning on Wednesday morning stating that the smoke from the wildfires would persist in the central New York region, affecting air quality and reaching dangerous levels in Syracuse.

The air quality worsened on Wednesday in central New York when the air quality index, which ranges from 0-500, rose above 400 for most of the day. Around 2 p.m. the AQI reached a high of 460, one of the worst in the northeastern U.S. As of 6 p.m., the AQI dropped to 257, downgrading to “very unhealthy,” according to the EPA’s website.

Matt Craner, Syracuse Fire Department captain and public information officer, said in an email to The Daily Orange that residents are recommended to remain indoors or wear either a KN95 or N95 mask if outside.

Local governments in Syracuse and throughout New York state advised individuals in all affected areas to avoid all physical activity outdoors, while individuals in “sensitive groups” — people with chronic health issues, asthma, and pre-existing conditions — remain indoors and avoid physical activity altogether.

According to the EPA, the AQI can change rapidly throughout the day. Current air quality indexes can be checked on the EPA’s website.

“The smoke makes all our lives more difficult,” Robert Wilson, the director of undergraduate studies for SU’s Geography and the Environment Department, wrote in an email to the D.O. “But the most vulnerable of us suffer greatly: children, the elderly and those with respiratory problems.”

Many school districts in the state, including the Syracuse City School District, have canceled all outdoor activities and sports practices after the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation issued an air quality warning effective until midnight of June 7.

The hazy sky and poor air quality in the Syracuse area and much of the northern U.S. is expected to continue over the next two days, syracuse.com reported.

“The wildfire smoke smothering Central New York shows the effects of wildfires don’t respect borders,” Wilson wrote in the email.

Syracuse University’s Department of Public Safety issued a warning stating the smoke from the wildfires would persist in the central New York region.

Courtesy of Matthew Whaley

The worsening air quality in Syracuse comes as smoke from the Canadian wildfires, fueled by record heat and dry conditions, pour into the eastern U.S., causing over 75 million people in the region to be under air quality alerts.

As of Wednesday, there were approximately 423 active fires in Canada, with 246 of them considered out of control, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center.

“Canada is having one of its worst fire seasons, and smoke from massive blazes in Quebec has poured south,” Wilson wrote in the email. “And it’s only June. Worse fires may be yet to come.”

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Smoke from wildfires have primarily plagued western states, but as smoke engulfs the Northeast and Midwest regions, it’s clear that wildfires have become a national concern, Wilson said.

“This smoke event is unprecedented in the Northeast,” Ethan Coffel, an assistant professor of Geography at SU, wrote in an email to the D.O. “It has produced the most widespread and severe air pollution the region has seen in at least 24 years, when records of small particulate matter began.”

The recent increase in wildfire season length and intensity worldwide has largely been caused by climate change, according to the EPA.

“In a climate changed world, the peril of smoke is a problem for us in the East, too,” Wilson said.

Published on June 7, 2023 at 8:56 pm

Contact Samantha: saolande@syr.edu