What you need to know about the air quality emergency

Why is the sky yellow?

The cough-inducing, yellow-orange haze that has smothered New York City and created hazardous air-quality conditions is caused by smoke that’s been blown southward from hundreds of Canadian wildfires.

A low-pressure system is pushing the smoke down to the five boroughs and holding the smoke close to the ground, creating some of the worst air conditions in the world. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation issued an air quality health advisory for the city through midnight Wednesday.

“Typically this smoke is elevated 10,000 feet above our heads, but when this process of vertical mixing in the atmosphere occurs, it mixes the air down to the surface again,” meteorologist John Homenuk said.

How much longer is this going to last?

The air quality got a little better Wednesday morning, but the reprieve was short-lived.

As of Wednesday morning, the smoke had lifted higher in the atmosphere, improving air quality and visibility slightly. But starting at around 2 p.m. or 3 p.m., the smoke dropped back down closer to the ground, making the air quality more dangerous.

“We’re going to see the smoke mix back down to the surface, just like we did yesterday afternoon and evening,” he said. “It’ll be pretty similar — if not maybe slightly worse, actually — than yesterday,” Homenuk said.

City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol said that the air quality advisory remains in effect through midnight Wednesday, but that he expects it’ll likely be extended beyond that, potentially into the weekend.

“We expect this to be a multiple-day event, so we expect that that advisory will remain in place for the next few days,” he said.

The situation on Thursday is predicted to be slightly better, although air quality will still be dangerous. It likely won’t get back to normal until after the weekend.

Should I even go outside?

Young people, older adults and people with underlying health issues should stay indoors and keep their windows shut. All others should also limit their exposure to the outdoors and take precautions.

Don’t exercise outdoors and seriously consider postponing your picnic plans. Across the city, outdoor concerts and other activities were being canceled.

“The main thing is to limit outdoor exposure and obviously any strenuous activity. You don’t want to be gasping for air and breathing this stuff in all day, if you can avoid it,” Homenuk said.

Mayor Adams escalated the city’s recommendations late Wednesday by advising all New Yorkers to stay indoors unless they need to be outside.

Does a KN-95 or N95 mask work against the smoke?

With all the nasty air particles floating around, experts say you should wear a mask if you do venture out.

Just like with COVID, the stronger the mask, the better, although any face covering is better than none, said Ramon Tallaj, a doctor who leads SOMOS Community Care, a nonprofit health network.

Tallaj had a tip for those who may only have surgical masks on hand: Flip the mask so that the smoother, blue side is on the inside, near your mouth.

“Surgeons use it with the blue part outside, because they don’t want their mouth and their breathing to go inside the patients during surgery,” Tallaj said. “In this case, it’s the other way around. You don’t want the [particles] to come to you.”

But otherwise, N95 masks are the best.

“They’re the masks that are going to filter out these particles most effectively. So if you still have an N95 mask or you want to go grab one, it’s recommended to wear them because they do filter the harmful particles out, at least to some degree,” Homenuk said.

Is this just uncomfortable or dangerous?

Both.

You’ll know you’ve been affected if your eyes start itching or get watery, if you develop a cough or shortness of breath and your throat might ache. If you don’t have preexisting conditions like asthma or a heart condition, these symptoms can fade within days as long as air quality improves.

For people who have conditions like asthma, heart disease or other respiratory conditions, the smoke can be dangerous.

Barbara Mann, a pulmonologist at Mount Sinai-National Jewish Respiratory Institute, said that the poor air quality means an increased risk of heart attacks and respiratory conditions like asthma.

What is the city doing?

Mayor Adams canceled outdoor activities at New York City public schools Wednesday and is telling New Yorkers to “limit outdoor activity to the greatest extent possible.”

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation issued an air quality health advisory for Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.