Wildfires continue to burn in three states as red flag warnings remain and drought conditions persist. Fires cause smoky skies and poor air quality.

There were nearly half a dozen forest fires burning in new jersey and red flag warnings cover the tri-state area from the Garden State to New York City to Fairfield County in Connecticut, two days after the U.S. Drought Monitor released the increasingly dire news. The tri-state region is wilting due to 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. Air quality rose to “very unhealthy” levels Saturday evening. Check your air quality here.

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

The city’s advisory meeting will last until Sunday.

Storm Team 4’s Raphael Miranda looks at your weekend forecast and when those dry and smoky conditions might ease.

Fire crews managed to get it under control Two-acre brush fire in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park The fire threatened to spread to a very busy area of ​​the park on Friday night, but luckily a park resident noticed the flames and called the FDNY.

The FDNY said its crews brought the fire under control around 9:40 p.m., just three hours after the first 911 call was received. He reported that one firefighter suffered minor injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

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

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire Friday evening near Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn’s popular park.

Immediately following the park fire, Mayor Eric Adams announced a ban on all grilling in city parks as the city continues drought conditions.

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

Where are the fires burning right now?

Some of the areas with active forest fires as of Saturday morning are:

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

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

Red flag warnings are once again in effect for NYC and most of the tri-state area on Saturday. New York City, Long Island, northern New Jersey, Westchester County in New York and Fairfield County in Connecticut are in extreme fire danger this weekend.

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

Red flag warning in New Jersey Valid until at least 18.00 on Saturday.

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

Air quality is declining in the New York City area

According to Storm Team 4’s Raphael Miranda, airborne smoke gets trapped in the atmosphere and doesn’t go anywhere. Trapped smoke comes to the fore to reduce air quality levels.

Air quality for the immediate area of ​​New York City dropped to “moderate” levels, while some hot areas near the fires dropped to “unhealthy for sensitive groups.”

As of Saturday morning, Brooklyn had one of the worst air quality areas in the region due to smoke lingering in the air. Hudson and Passaic counties in New Jersey also deal with air quality issues.

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

This fall has been the driest ever in Central Park, with only 18 inches of rain falling since September 1.

When will everything get better?

Air quality is expected to improve throughout the day on Saturday.

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