New York City endured worse air quality than Delhi on Thursday, as massive wildfires in Canada pushed hazy skies and dangerous smoke south.<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s Air Quality Index (AQI) score soared to a \u201cvery unhealthy\u201d level, which \u201cmay cause health issues for everyone, especially sensitive groups,\u201d according to<\/a> the city\u2019s official emergency notification system. <\/p>\n New York City\u2019s AQI was in Level Red<\/a> (between 151 and 200) for most of Thursday but jumped to Level Purple (between 201 and 300) by evening. <\/p>\n Hazy skies over NYC. REUTERS<\/p>\n Air Quality Index scores in NYC are in the \u2018Unhealthy\u2019 category Thursday. AirNow.gov<\/p>\n The New York City skyline and Empire State Building are barely visible through heavy wildfire smoke. REUTERS<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Indian city, which traditionally tops annual pollution reports, recorded an \u201cunhealthy\u201d AQI of 163, according to IQAir<\/a>.<\/p>\n New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani has urged Big Apple residents to stay safe and limit time outdoors<\/a> as much as possible.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery New Yorker should take precautions. Limit your time outdoors, especially strenuous activity,\u201d the mayor said Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have made free KN95 masks available at hundreds of locations citywide, including libraries, police precincts, and a number of firehouses,\u201d he said, directing New Yorkers to\u00a0on.nyc.gov\/freemask<\/a>\u00a0to find out where to pick up a mask.<\/p>\n New Yorkers have been urged to stay safe. Robert Miller for NY Post<\/p>\n The New York City Manhattan skyline as seen from the East River in Long Island City covered in haze and smoke on July 16. Brian Zak\/NY Post<\/p>\n Compounding the air pollution is the current heatwave<\/a>, with temperatures in the tri-state area nearing 100 degrees this week.<\/p>\n A heat dome is also trapping the wildfire smoke<\/a> close to the ground, the New York Times reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n A statewide Air Quality Health Advisory has been issued for Thursday by the New York State Departments of Environmental Conservation and Health, with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also urging residents to stay safe.<\/p>\n \u201cWe continue to coordinate with local counties to monitor conditions and distribute masks to help protect vulnerable populations,\u201d said Hochul.<\/p>\n Map illustrating air quality across the northeastern US and parts of Canada, with areas of very poor air quality shown in dark red and purple. AirNow.gov<\/p>\n The Brunswick Creek Wildfire in British Columbia, Canada, on July 7. Bloomberg via Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cI encourage all New Yorkers to stay informed about the latest updates and take the necessary precautions to protect yourselves, your neighbors, and your loved ones,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n The air quality is expected to improve Friday morning, before worsening again later in the day into the start of the weekend,\u00a0ABC 7 reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n