ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Many people remember the 2023 Canadian wildfires and the effect the smoke had on the region.

An expert has some good news for people in Western New York about the wildfires downstate. Erica Smithwith, director of earth and environmental sciences at Penn State, says that since those wildfires are to the east of Rochester, and winds blow from the east to the west, there’s very little risk of people in the area seeing any smoke.

However, she adds if a state like Wisconsin or Michigan has a wildfire in the future, there is a risk of people seeing it in Rochester.

“Most of the smoke is going to be heading eastward, so that’s good for those of you in the western part of New York and those areas. But, yeah, we all have to be aware of that. And, for the most part, the smoke is traveling from west to east. So, any smoke that’s coming from fires further to the west, I’d be looking at the fires happening in the middle part of the states. Wisconsin and Michigan and how that situation is shaping up. Any smoke from there could travel into New York and other parts of the East Coast.”

Now, Governor Hochul has implemented a burn ban through the end of the month, something that Professor Smithwick says is impactful even in our area.