ALERT: Poor Air Quality Reported in Central New York

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has issued an air quality health advisory. Those with respiratory issues are urged to limit strenuous outdoor physical activity.

The Air Quality Alert is in effect through 11PM tonight for the following counties: Delaware...Otsego...Broome...Chenango...Madison...Oneida...Tioga...
Cortland...Onondaga...Chemung...Tompkins...Cayuga...Seneca...Steuben...
Schuyler...Yates.

According to the National Weather Service, the air quality levels in outdoor air are predicted to be greater than an air quality index value of 100 for ozone. The air quality index...or AQI...was created as an easy way to correlate levels of different pollutants to one scale. The higher the AQI value, the greater the health concern.

Pollution levels are elevated today making it difficult to breathe for those with pre-existing respiratory problems like asthma or heart disease. Therefore, the New York State Department of Health recommends that individuals sensitive to pollen and pollutants limit strenuous outdoor physical activity to reduce the risk of adverse health effects.

The National Weather Service out of Binghamton tells us temperatures will reach 90 degrees again today in the urban centers. A cold front will bring scattered thunderstorms to the region Sunday afternoon.

National Weather Service Binghamton

Extended Forecast:

Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 90. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 8 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. Light and variable wind.

Saturday: A slight chance of showers, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2PM. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83. Light west wind increasing to 6 to 11 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Saturday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8PM, then a slight chance of showers between 8PM and 2AM. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 63. West wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Sunday: A chance of showers between 8AM and 2PM, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2AM. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 77. West wind 6 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Sunday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8PM, then a slight chance of showers between 8PM and 2AM. Partly cloudy, with a low around 49. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 72.

Baby, it's HOT out. Syracuse hit a record braking 92 degrees yesterday, May 20, 2021,

Northern Lights In Old Forge

It's not really common to see northern lights in Central New York, but photographer Kurt Gardner captured the beautiful conformation of them near Old Forge. We're usually too far south of the North Pole, but sometimes we get lucky.

Auroras are caused by the Sun. The Sun is not only hot and bright, but it's also full of energy and small particles that fall toward Earth. NASA says the protective magnetic field around Earth shields us from most of the energy and particles, and we don't even notice them.

The amount of energy the Sun sends, depends on the streaming solar wind and solar storms. During one kind of solar storm called a coronal mass ejection, the Sun expels a huge bubble of electrified gas that can travel through space at high speeds.

When a solar storm comes toward us, some of the energy and small particles can travel down the magnetic field lines at the north and south poles into Earth's atmosphere. There, the particles interact with gases in our atmosphere resulting in beautiful displays of light in the sky. Oxygen gives off green and red light. Nitrogen glows blue and purple. [NASA]

Beautiful Plants That Also Keep The Bugs Away

Did you know there are plenty of plants that offer protection from mosquitoes, spiders, house flys and more? Yes, check out these natural bug repellants that are affordable and available now.