New York State Issues Health Threat Advisory Effective Immediately

The issue is in effect immediately for Western New York, Central New York, Eastern Lake Ontario, and the Adirondack region. Central New York was added after the initial advisory on Sunday morning.

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Amanda Lefton and State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald have issued a health advisory that is going into effect immediately until 11:59 PM on Sunday night. The wildfires that are currently happening in Canada are the reason that the health advisory is being issued.

You might not be able to see the bad air, but it is happening.

Once the air quality gets over a certain number, that is when it is deemed unsafe. For example either ozone or fine particulate matter (PM2.5), are expected to exceed an Air Quality Index (AQI) value of 100 today and that is why the advisory is happening. You can check the national website for air quality and punch in your zip code, and it will tell you approximately. numbers as well.

According to the New York State DEC:

An updated Air Quality Health Advisory for fine particulate matter on Sunday, Aug. 3, 2025, for the Central New York, Western New York, Eastern Lake Ontario, and Adirondack regions due to the impact of smoke from wildfires in Canada. In addition, there is the potential for visible smoke and hazy skies across the state and New Yorkers may see temporary spikes in smoke-related pollution.

A couple of years ago, when the wildfires were at their peak in Canada, a strong wind would send the smoke across Lake Erie, where you could even see the haze on any given day. People in some of the upper Midwest states are also seeing horrible air quality because of the Canadian wildfires.