We in the Southern Tier of New York State can see the sky again. The sun is not a hazy, red ball (if you can see it at all) in the sky as I write this post (4 pm on June 8).
Syracuse, New York's air quality index (AQI) Wednesday morning was 428 yesterday morning, on a scale that tops out at 500. The haze then traveled down to New York City, where the New York City skyline faded into a red/orange haze and people redonned N-95 masks to walk outside. The people on our West Coast are too familiar with this type situation and here's some advice on masks from the State of Washington.
We never left the house Wednesday. Our county parks were closed. Schools didn't allow their students out for recess or athletics. I had taken the week off, so was fortunate enough not to need to go anywhere.
Here, the air was more yellow, with a bouquet of somewhere between camp fire and stinky cigar. It got into the house through cracks and you could smell it inside.
The big surprise was how the temperature was held down. My spouse said "I think we are having a tiny taste of nuclear winter". It only got to 64F (18.9 C) yesterday. It should have been around 80F (26.7C).
So I don't have dramatic pictures to show you, but I have a feeling that other skywatchers will provide those. Instead, here are some photos I took during a weekend visit to the New York City area. Let's contrast Saturday with Monday, when the sky temporarily cleared.
A small part of Co-Op City in the Bronx (one of the five boroughs) Saturday.
And Monday.
Here is the skyline Monday. The reflection in the driver side side mirror is a bonus.
Sunday, we attended a wedding at the Queens Botanical Gardens. Here is a picture of their Rose Garden.About halfway home on Monday, returning to the Southern Tier of New York where we live, we ran back into the haze. We ended up cancelling the rest of our week's plans.
Thursday, a temporary reprieve. What you see are real clouds, not haze. We can see the clouds! Celebrate good times!
The haze should be back by the time this posts Friday.
Joining Yogi and other sky watching bloggers for #SkywatchFriday.
For all my blog readers and social media friends, if you are in affected areas, stay safe.