Syracuse, N.Y. — Smoke streaming in from still-burning wildfires in Canada will lead to unhealthy air quality today across Upstate New York.
The air quality index, a measure of fine airborne particles that can burrow deep into lungs, will be just above 100 today, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
That pushes the air quality into the category of “unhealthy for sensitive groups.”
Those groups, according to DEC, include “children and teens, the elderly, pregnant people, those with lung or heart conditions, asthmatics, those who exercise or work outdoors, and those in disadvantaged communities.”
Soot from wildfires in northern Canada are drifting into Upstate New York today, triggering an air quality alert for people sensitive to smoke.Environment Canada
An air quality advisory was issued on Sunday, too.
More than 200 fires are burning in Canada, according to Natural Resources Canada. Of those, 59 fires are out of control. The entire province of Manitoba, about five times the size of New York, remains under a state of emergency.
This map shows wildfires in Canada that are considered out of control (purple) and out of control but monitored (red) on Aug. 4, 2025. (Natural Resources Canada)Natural Resources Canada
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