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    • New Jersey wildfires threaten New York amid ‘critical’ fire conditions: Here’s what you need to know
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    New Jersey wildfires threaten New York amid ‘critical’ fire conditions: Here’s what you need to know

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    Topline

    A series of wildfires in New Jersey are threatening dozens of structures across the state, as the National Weather Service warned of “critical” fire conditions across the Northeast, including in New York City, where officials have issued an air quality warning.

    Key facts

    A wildfire in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, has burned 250 acres and is 0% contained as of Saturday morning, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, which said 55 structures were threatened.

    Another smaller wildfire has burned 80 acres and is 40% contained, threatening an area near the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, the agency said, noting that the causes of both wildfires are under investigation.

    Wildfires as well as another wildfire that ignited in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park on Friday caused the National Weather Service to issue a “Red Flag Warning” for the region, indicating “critical fire conditions.”

    The Northeast is experiencing winds up to 20 miles per hour with gusts up to 30 miles per hour, in addition to dry conditions and “relative humidity” up to 30%, according to the National Weather Service, meaning that “any fire that breaks out will spread quickly.” .”

    New York City, Rockland and Westchester, New York, are under an air quality advisory through Friday evening, with air that the Environmental Protection Agency says could be “unhealthy” for people with heart or lung conditions, older adults, children and teenagers. .

    New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the risk of fire remains “HIGH” amid dry and windy conditions, which could cause smoke “to linger in our city today.”

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    Surprising fact

    New York City and Brooklyn have experienced much warmer temperatures than normal, according to the University at Albany. Five of the past eight days had high temperatures nearly 20 degrees above average.

    Tangent

    The Mountain Fire in Ventura County, California, has burned more than 20,600 acres and is 17% contained as of Saturday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Evacuation orders and warnings are in effect for more than a dozen areas near the wildfire as California officials warn of an “imminent threat to life.”

    Important background

    The National Weather Service warned earlier this week of an increased risk of wildfires in the Northeast, including an area stretching from Massachusetts to the northern edge of Virginia and West Virginia. Multiple wildfires have occurred across Massachusetts as the region experiences dry conditions and little to no rain. The National Weather Service previously predicted that La Niña is likely to develop in the U.S. through November and last through March. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, this climate pattern normally results in above-average precipitation in the Pacific Northwest, Midwest and Northeast. This past winter, influenced by El Niño, was the warmest on record in the U.S., with temperatures in the lower 48 states 5.4 degrees warmer than average, NOAA said.

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