Wildfire Smoke Will Be a Problem All Summer for New York State

The start of the summer has been a bit different for Western, Central and upstate New York.

The temperatures have done some flip-flopping since Memorial Day Weekend, while there has been both drought conditions and colder rain in the month of June. However, the biggest concern for residents in the state is not the warmth or rain. It's the wildfire smoke.

Smoke from Canadian wildfires have made its way down to New York, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania and other northeast and Midwest states, since the first week of June.

On Wednesday and Thursday, air quality reached anywhere from unhealthy to dangerous, depending on where you were. For those in Western and Central New York, that air quality was very unhealthy.

While the air quality should greatly improve by the weekend, the wildfire smoke is not going away anytime soon.

This is the worst wildfire season in Canada on record. The smoke has even made its way to Europe. The mild winter, early start for wildfires, and human-caused climate change are the causes according to AccuWeather.

Forecasters are saying that the wildfire smoke will be a story all summer. The smoke won't go away until after the summer...

The wildfire smoke should back off in New York in July, as heavy rain helps, but Western Canada will see drought conditions to extend smoke to the Midwest. The wildfire smoke on the east coast is expected to drift down time to time this summer.

For those who have outdoor activities planned this summer, keep an eye on the forecast. Wildfire smoke conditions can't properly be forecasted until 2-3 days prior, so it's important to stay up to date with forecasts on social media.