Smoke from the wildfire in Ocean County could reach Central Jersey by Wednesday evening, according to the latest run of a computer weather model.
As of noon Wednesday, firefighters had contained 30% of the wildfire that had already consumed more than 11,000 acres of the Pine Barrens in southern Ocean County.
The smoke is projected to reach southeastern and eastern Middlesex County by 9 p.m. with visibility decreasing to less than a mile.
The smoke will continue to flow north and west, overspreading the rest of the county by 10 p.m. and reaching southeastern Somerset County and southern Union County.
By 11 p.m., the computer run predicts the smoke will spread over the rest of Somerset and Union counties.
By midnight, the smoke starts to dissipate in southern Middlesex County while an hour later, it blows into Hunterdon County north of Interstate 78 while remaining in the other parts of Central Jersey.
The smoke will be heaviest in the I-287 corridor in Middlesex County in the overnight hours and north of I-78 in Somerset and Hunterdon counties.
By dawn Thursday, the smoke is expected to reach the Delaware River.
The smoke is forecast to dissipate in Hunterdon and Somerset counties by 11 a.m. Thursday while still affecting the I-287 corridor in Middlesex County and Union County.
By sunset, the smoke finally begins to fade away in Central Jersey.
The smoke forecast is dependent on the wind and how long it takes to contain the wildfire.
Southwesterly winds starting late Thursday are predicted to carry most of the smoke offshore.
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This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Pine Barrens wildfire smoke expected in Central Jersey late Wednesday