NJ must deal with more bad air from Canadian wildfires Wednesday

New Jersey was bracing Wednesday for another round of some of the worst air pollution in recent memory due to smoke from dozens of large forest fires that have broken out in Canada, sending heavy smoke straight into the northern U.S.

Red alerts had already been issued Tuesday evening in Essex and Morris counties along with the Delaware Water Gap for unhealthy conditions, as the haze darkened skies across the state and caused the odor of burning wood to spread everywhere.

Forecasts from the state Department of Environmental Protection called for worse conditions Wednesday than what it had forecast for Tuesday.

Environmental officials were cautioning sensitive groups to remain indoors Wednesday or doing any strenuous activity. This includes the elderly, very young children and people who have a heart or lung disease such as asthma.

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That could change depending on how bad it gets.

In Syracuse, New York, where air quality hovered around the "very unhealthy" score of 200, residents were advised to shut their windows.

Check current and future air quality forecasts before you head out at the AirNow website that gives state and regional readings.

Even if you are healthy, experts say limiting such outdoor activities as running, hiking or working could alleviate stress on the lungs.

Keeping doors and windows closed can help keep the smoke at bay. An air purifier or air conditioner with a high efficiency filter can also be effective.

An N95 facemask — the symbol of protection during the COVID-19 pandemic — can prevent most smoke particles from entering the lungs if it is worn correctly.

New Jersey's air quality was worse Tuesday night than some cities that consistently have the worst air pollution in the world. Beijing was at 103, New Delhi at 152 and Lahore, Pakistan at 169.

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Air quality got worse in New Jersey on Tuesday as the day progressed. A thick plume made its way over Lake Ontario Tuesday morning, and then through Syracuse and Central New York before entering New Jersey in the evening.

Newark posted an air quality index score of 169 by 9 p.m. — believed to be to the highest score anywhere in the state on Tuesday.

Hardwick in the Delaware Water Gap reported a score of 160, followed by Mendham with a score of 155.

New Jersey's primary air pollutant is ground-level ozone, produced mostly from car emissions, which under the right weather conditions forms smog. It's so bad that Bergen County received an F from the American Lung Association's most recent annual report.

But tiny pieces of soot called particle pollution that make up smoke has been on a downward spiral in New Jersey for years.

Much of the state's past particle pollution came from coal fired power plants or old, belching diesel engines, not from burning trees. But the closing of those plants and the retirement of those engines has allowed New Jersey to score high marks for low soot. From 2019 to 2021, there were no red days and every county scored either an A or a B from the American Lung Association.

Wind patterns are expected to remain the same at least through Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.

That means the timing for the smoke's disappearance will depend on whether the fires in Quebec continue to burn. Forecasts call for showers in parts of the province this week, but Canadian fire officials said they were having a difficult time containing the fires' spread.