How Long Will Wildfire Smoke Last in N.J.? When Will Skies Clear? Forecast Update.

Heavy gray smoke from a series of intense wildfires burning in eastern Canada continues to get pushed farther into New Jersey, paving a path of dangerous air quality. Once again, the smoke has transformed what should be a bright and partly sunny June afternoon into an eerie haze of darkness.

In addition, the smoke and microscopic particles have turned the air unhealthy and have triggered air quality alerts from public health officials.

As of 3 p.m. Wednesday, the northern half of New Jersey hit “very unhealthy” air quality levels, with some spots climbing into the worst rating of “hazardous,” according to the Federal Environmental Protection Agency’s air quality map.

That means the air could cause adverse health effects for everyone — not just people with asthma or other respiratory issues.

The thick, smoky air has prompted some Garden State residents to dig out the N-95 face masks that they had stocked up on during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the heavy haze has caused major visibility problems for pilots, prompting Newark Liberty International Airport to cancel several flights and delay more than 300 flights as of about 2 p.m.

On the other side of the Hudson River, LaGuardia Airport implemented a ground stop on its flights.

The smoky air is also impacting boats and ships. The National Weather Service’s regional office in New Jersey has issued a rare “Marine Dense Smoke Advisory” for the waters from Sandy Hook in Monmouth County down to Little Egg Inlet in Ocean County.

The advisory went into effect at about 2:15 p.m. and will be active through 6 p.m. because of “visibility in dense smoke of 1 nautical mile or less.”

Smoke to linger

How long will the air remain this smoky? While weather forecasters say it’s difficult to predict smoke patterns with precision, they believe the air quality will be worse in the northern half of New Jersey for much of Wednesday afternoon before a shift that may push the heavier smoke into the southern half of the state in the late afternoon and evening.

However, it likely will still smell smoky and look hazy across the entire state this evening, according to the National Weather Service.

“Unfortunately, the whole state is getting the brunt of the smoke right now,” weather service meteorologist Michael Lee said at about 3:15 p.m. Wednesday. “It’s still pushing south. The thick stuff is now moving towards Trenton and heading towards Philadelphia.”

Lee said the smoke “is starting to get a little thick now (outside) the office” in Mount Holly, in Burlington County, and during the next couple of hours Trenton and Philly “will see the worst of the smoke.”

The Garden State probably won’t see clear, blue skies and experience completely smoke-free conditions until the winds shift or we get a soaking rain, the weather service said. Light rain is possible Thursday and Friday, but any precipitation that falls is not expected to be substantial enough to clear the air.

The main culprit that’s driving the smoke is a big low-pressure system sitting over Maine in northern New England, which is “funneling the smoke from Quebec into upstate New York and then down over New Jersey,” Lee said. “The winds are not in our favor.”

Most of New Jersey’s 21 counties are already under a “code red air quality action day” that extends through Wednesday night and continues throughout the day on Thursday and through the tail end of Thursday night because of ground-level ozone pollution and fine particulates expected to linger in the air.

“We’re in a bit of a holding pattern right now,” Lee said. But he said it’s possible the weather pattern might change a little by Friday or Saturday, so we could see a slight shift in the wind direction. If that happens, the smoky conditions in New Jersey could ease up.

However, Lee noted, there are no guarantees at this time.

NJ Advance Media staff writers Jeff Goldman and Larry Higgs contributed to this report.

Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com.

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