Wildfire Smoke Approaches Hudson Valley; Affects Air Quality

If you smelled smoke on Sunday, you're not alone. The Canadian wildfires are back and they've hit the Hudson Valley region of New York.

Predicting the weather isn't always an exact science. Many people joke that meteorologists are the only people who can be wrong half of the time and still keep their jobs. If figuring out if it's going to rain or not is difficult, imagine tyring to forecast where a large cloud of smoke is going to show up in a few days.

For that reason, it's almost impossible to predict the effects of large wildfires like the ones currently burning in Canada. As we learned last summer, smoke from these fires can affect the air quality of places thousands of miles away. The Hudson Valley was hit with hazy skies, which made it difficult to breathe for many people, especially those with respiratory issues.

Wildfire Smoke Returns to New York's Hudson Valley in 2025

On Sunday, many people in the upper Hudson Valley complained of a smoky smell and hazy conditions. The cause was smoke from the Canadian wildfires. While conditions kept the smoke in the upper atmosphere for much of last week, that wasn't the case on Sunday.

Fortunately, the effects weren't nearly as bad as they were last year, but that may change. Last week, the Hudson Valley was under air quality alerts, not from the smoke but from ozone. This weekend, the wildfire smoke was no longer confined to the upper atmosphere, finally impacting the air quality throughout the region.

While the smoke most severely impacted the Adirondacks area, the Hudson Valley experienced moderate levels of fine particulates, which could be an issue for those with respiratory issues. Rain on Sunday evening into Monday has somewhat helped, although fine particulates are still moderately present throughout the region.

It's unclear just how bad the smoke will get over the next week, but we will keep you posted with updates as officials monitor the air quality in the Hudson Valley.