HUDSON VALLEY, NY — As the lower and middle Hudson Valley prepares for a wet weekend, New York state authorities are warning that smoke from wildfires in Canada is affecting air quality across much of the state.

The air quality index is expected to reach levels that are “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” and a health warning for fine particulate matter has been issued for the Upper Hudson Valley and the Adirondacks until midnight Friday, Department of Environmental Protection officials said.

“New Yorkers must be vigilant today as wildfire smoke begins to impact certain regions of the state,” said Governor Kathy Hochul. “I urge vulnerable New Yorkers to heed the state’s air quality health alerts and take the necessary precautions to stay safe.”

The Upper Hudson Valley air quality health alert includes Albany, Columbia, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie and Washington counties.

Still, the Canadian haze is manipulating skies in the middle and lower Hudson Valley with high-altitude smoke, Bruce Furbeck of First Due Weather said on Facebook.

“Watch for unique sunrises and sunsets when there is no rain to clear the skies,” he said. “In the long run, smoke from wildfires in our area will have peaks and troughs for the foreseeable future.”

The Canadian Meteorological Service’s interactive map of wildfire smoke shows that New York was in shadow on Friday afternoon.

At the weekend, however, it will be predominantly cloudy with a persistent probability of showers and thunderstorms.

“A slow-moving storm will reach a growing zone of warm and moist air from the Appalachians to the Atlantic coast this weekend,” said Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather’s senior meteorologist.

This area of ​​low pressure in the upper atmosphere will help steer Hurricane Ernesto out to sea … but will also keep the Hudson Valley unsettled on Saturday and especially into Sunday, say the folks at Hudson Valley Weather.

Life-threatening rip currents are expected on the beaches of the Atlantic coast, the National Weather Service said.

Here is the five-day forecast for North Westchester:

Friday night
Mostly clear tonight, then mostly cloudy. Lows in the mid 60s. Southeast winds around 5 mph.

Saturday
Mostly cloudy with a 20% chance of rain. Highs around 80°F. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph.

Saturday night
Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and a slight chance of a thunderstorm. A scattered fog. Lows around 65°F. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph. Evening gusts as high as 20 mph. 40% chance of rain.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. Patchy fog in the morning. A chance of showers and thunderstorms in the morning, then showers with a chance of thunderstorms in the afternoon. Humid with highs around 25 degrees. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph. Gusts as high as 20 mph in the afternoon. 70 percent chance of rain.

Sunday night
Showers with a chance of thunderstorms. Humid with lows around 18 degrees. Southeast winds 5 to 10 mph. Evening gusts as high as 20 mph. 80 percent chance of rain.

Monday
Showers likely with a chance of thunderstorms. Highs around 80. 70 percent chance of rain.

Monday night
Mostly cloudy with a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows around 60. 50 percent chance of rain.

Tuesday
Partly sunny with a 30% chance of rain. Maximum temperatures around 25 degrees.

Tuesday night
Partly cloudy. Chance of showers in the evening. Lows around 13°C. 30% chance of rain.