Don't hold your breath. The smoky air and smell of fire won't go away anytime soon.
New Jersey residents woke up again Friday to the distinct burning smell as teams continued to battle the Jennings Creek Fire in Passaic County. And experts warned that winds could change the poor atmospheric conditions above New York City.
As of Friday morning, the wildfire was about 75% contained, said Joseph Davis, FOX Weather production assistant meteorologist.
“Anywhere directly south of that, you should be seeing smoke right now,” he told the Post, noting that the air quality index for the eastern half of the Garden State is listed as “poor.” .
Davis said the smoke situation could spread over the ocean and into the New York City area later Friday due to strong winds.
Air quality in the Big Apple was swinging between “good” and “moderate” around 9:30 a.m., but conditions could worsen as smoke from the New Jersey wildfires inched closer. He explained that there is.
“The wind direction will be more towards New York, which could lead to even worse air quality later today,” Davis said.
The situation is expected to continue through Saturday and Sunday, marking a foggy fall weekend for the region.
Davis said wildfire danger remains active across the tri-state region, which includes parts of Pennsylvania to Connecticut.
“Due to drought and wind, elevated fire rights are quite widespread across the tri-state,” he explained.
More than 20 million people in the Northeast were threatened by fires this week.
The Jennings Creek Fire will burn 5,000 acres (7.8 square miles) if fully extinguished, the New Jersey State Forestry and Fire Marshal's Office said Wednesday.
As of midweek, about 2,300 acres (3.5 square miles) had burned in New Jersey alone, and firefighters in New York City were battling wildfires in Prospect Park and Inwood.
Police announced last week that a 14-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of starting one of the New Jersey wildfires that burned 52 acres.
