News 12 Staff

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Jun 9, 2023, 5:56 AM

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Updated

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The Hudson Valley will see a huge improvement in air quality today compared to the past few days.

According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's website, today's Air Quality Index (AQI) for the Hudson Valley is good to moderate depending where you are - meaning air quality is acceptable. 

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All AQI numbers in the Hudson Valley are under 100 now. Numbers in Rockland, Orange, Putnam, Dutchess and Ulster counties are 0-50 (GOOD). It's still around 50 - 80ish for Westchester (MODERATE).

However DEC officials say that also means there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are sensitive to air pollution and those are people who suffer from respiratory illness like asthma. Also, people may still feel symptoms of the exposure to the poor air quality for a few days. This is not from new exposure, but really a delayed immune response from what's already trying to be dealt with by the body.

Many people who spoke with News 12 say they could really feel the effects of the smoke with watery eyes, burning in the throat, and allergy sufferers have been struggling.

Folks with sensitive issues should still take it a little easier because you may still be feeling the effects from the past few days. "Asthma can be viewed on a spectrum. while the majority are under control, it does have the propensity to go into danger zones very quickly," says emergency medicine physician Dr. Elias Youssef.

Here's the good news. If you're comfortable with it, you can start to open up those windows again and go back to your outdoor activities. DEC officials say you might want to run fans in the house to circulate the air.