Smoke from the massive wildfires in Canada is expected to affect residents across New York state, creating hazy skies with smoke thick enough to block the sun and lower the temperatures in some areas.
Air quality in parts of the U.S. began worsening late last week as high-altitude winds carried smoke from dozens of wildfires in Canada southward.
On Tuesday, the National Weather Service in Binghamton, N.Y., released a satellite image showing smoke and clouds over the western and central parts of the state and much of Pennsylvania.
The smoke is affecting solar radiation at the surface, with higher radiation values observed in the east. “As a result, temperatures in smoke-affected areas could be cooler than originally forecast,” officials said.
Satellite shows smoke and some clouds over western & central NY and most of PA. From the @nysmesonet , the smoke is having an impact on solar radiation at the surface: see higher values in the east. As a result, the smoke could keep temperatures cooler than originally forecasted. pic.twitter.com/JeZ2rbfmCC
— NWS Binghamton (@NWSBinghamton) June 3, 2025
Just before 11 a.m., the NYS Mesonet at UAlbany — a high-resolution weather observation network operated by the University at Albany, SUNY — reported that Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) systems in Buffalo, Owego and Belleville had captured the smoke plume gradually “advecting toward the surface over the past 6 to 8 hours.”
In Syracuse, some smoke had already drifted into the area, creating hazy conditions and colorful sunsets, NWS meteorologist Danielle Kittle told Syracuse.com.
“It could be a little bit more noticeable [Tuesday] afternoon in terms of getting the faint smell of smoke,“ she said.
As of Tuesday morning, air quality had reached “unhealthy” levels in parts of the Dakotas, Iowa and Minnesota, with a smaller region in Minnesota — including Minneapolis, Lakeville and Faribault — classified as “very unhealthy,” according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow page.
While air quality levels remained “good” for most of the New York City area, per EPA data, Fox5NY warned that smoke could reach the Big Apple sometime Tuesday.
The Canadian fires, which began last month, have forced the evacuation of more than 25,000 people across three Canadian provinces.
With News Wire Services
