Wildfires continue to burn around the tri-state as red flag warnings remain and drought conditions persist. Fires lead to smoky skies and poor air quality.

Almost half a dozen wildfires are burning in New Jersey and red flag warnings cover the tri-state area, from the Garden State to New York City to Fairfield County, Connecticut, on Saturday, two days after the US Drought Monitor released worsening news. The tri-state area is languishing in a prolonged and increasingly extreme drought.

Worsening smoke conditions triggered an air quality health advisory for New York City, as well as Rockland and Westchester counties. By Saturday evening, air quality had risen to “very unhealthy” levels. Check your air quality here.

Anyone with heart or lung disease, older adults and young children are advised to avoid outdoor exposure. Everyone else is encouraged to limit outdoor activities or keep them short.

The city advisory is scheduled to last through Sunday.

Storm Team 4’s Raphael Miranda takes a look at your forecast. of the weekend and when these dry and smoky conditions could improve.

Firefighters were able to take control a two-acre fire in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park Friday night that threatened to spread to a very dense area of ​​the park, but luckily a visitor saw the flames and called the FDNY.

The FDNY said its crews had the fire under control around 9:40 p.m., just three hours after receiving the first call to 911. One firefighter reported a minor injury and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

“The fire is under control and there are some hot spots,” said FDNY Commissioner Robert S. Tucker. press conference.

It was not immediately clear what started Friday night’s fire, which broke out near Flatbush Avenue in the popular Brooklyn park.

Following the fire in the park, Mayor Eric Adams announced a ban on all barbecues in city parks while the city remains in drought conditions.

“Effective immediately, we are banning barbecues in our parks and we need all New Yorkers to take common sense steps to prevent brush fires,” Adams said Saturday.

Where are the fires burning now?

As of Saturday morning, these are some of the areas with active wildfires:

• Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey (Bergen County)
• Pompton Lakes, New Jersey (Passaic County)
• Jackson Township, New Jersey (Ocean County)
• Riverhead, New York (Suffolk County)
• Evesham and Voorhees Townships, New Jersey (Burlington and Camden Counties)
• Glassboro, New Jersey (Gloucester County)

Fire danger reaches extreme levels for New Jersey, NYC, Long Island

Red flag warnings are back in effect for New York and much of the tri-state on Saturday. New York City, Long Island, northern New Jersey, New York’s Westchester County and Connecticut’s Fairfield County are all under extreme fire danger this weekend.

Red flag warnings continue due to high winds, low humidity and dry brush.

The red flag warning in New Jersey is in effect until at least 6pm on Saturday.

During these extreme fire conditions, residents should not use outdoor grills or fire pits or light campfires or other open fires.

Air quality is declining in the New York area

Smoke in the air is trapped in the atmosphere and isn’t going anywhere, according to Storm Team 4’s Raphael Miranda. Trapped smoke leads to lower the air quality level.

Air quality dropped to “moderate” levels for the immediate New York City area, with some hot spots near the fires reaching “unhealthy for sensitive groups.”

As of Saturday morning, Brooklyn has the worst air quality in the area due to smog lingering in the air. Hudson and Passaic counties in New Jersey are also experiencing air quality issues.

People should be cautious when outside if they smell smoke and limit outdoor exercise, such as jogging, until air quality improves.

This fall is now the driest fall on record, with only 1.59 inches of rain in Central Park since September 1st.

When will everything get better?

Air quality is forecast to improve through Saturday.

The rain will finally arrive on Sunday and Thursday, but only up to an inch of rain is expected, which will help, but is still far from our normal precipitation amounts and won’t get us out of these drought conditions.