Cortland County will see slight disruptions in air quality as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has once again issued an air quality alert, weeks after the state organization’s last alert.
DEC’s fine particulate matter health advisory went into effect at midnight and will go until the late-night hours of Wednesday. The air quality is anticipated to reach “unhealthy for sensitive groups” levels in Central New York (CNY).
Cortland County and the rest of the CNY region is expected to see its air quality index (AQI) range between 100-150. During the week of June 5-9, the AQI reached between 300-400, sometimes over 400.
The alerts come after Canada’s record-setting wildfire season continues to burn coast-to-coast in the country.
According to CBS News, there were 490 active fires in Canada on Tuesday. The highest number of blazes is in Quebec, with 117 current active fires recorded.
Since early Wednesday morning, the AQI in the Cortland area has consistently been in the 80-to-90 range for a moderate air quality level, according to airnow.gov.
To sign up for air quality alerts, click here.