An advisory was issued Thursday after air quality reached over 100 on the air quality index. The value defines overall air quality to be “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” which includes people with breathing difficulties and elderly people. Photo of a farm in Smyrna Wednesday. (Photo by Tyler Murphy)

CHENANGO COUNTY – Earlier this week the national weather service announced a emerging weather system was bringing smoke and haze to the area from wildfires in Canada and posted alerts about weather quality.

“High pressure remains in control this afternoon, which has resulted in mostly sunny skies. However, smoke from Canadian wildfires has filtered into the region, which has resulted in hazy skies and somewhat reduced visibilities,” reported the National Weather Service in Binghamton.

They said air quality will be reduced across the region while the wildfire smoke remains overhead. The Air Quality Index (AQI) was in the orange to red earlier this week, meaning that the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups including those with heart or respiratory issues. For more information on the air quality on your area visit airnow.gov.

Like the previous alerts in early June of 2024, Chenango County Emergency Management Coordinator Matt Beckwith said the advisory was due to smoke carried from wildfires in Canada.

He said smoke from the wildfires is flowing up so high in the air that it’s getting caught in the jet stream, following the course of the winds from the north and blowing to the south, and the jet stream is carrying the winds down to the Chenango County area again.

While air quality in Chenango County was currently on the cusp of moderate and unhealthy for sensitive groups, Beckwith said it is hard to tell if the air quality will get worse. He said it depends on how the wind shifts through the jet stream.

According to AirNow, a site run by government agencies including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, air quality Chenango county was at unhealthy levels Thursday morning.
The advisory was issued after forecasted air quality reached over 100 on the air quality index, the report said. The value defines overall air quality to be “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” which includes people with breathing difficulties and elderly people.

The alert recommends individuals in sensitive groups to consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity to reduce the risk of adverse health effects.