Wildfires were burning from one end of New Jersey to the other on Friday after one of the driest months on record, leading New York City to issue smoke warnings and forcing farmers to take steps to protect their harvests.

New York City had a weekend of mostly blue skies marred by acrid smoke and air-quality advisories after a series of brush fires, fueled by extremely dry conditions, erupted around the region. People sensitive to pollution were advised that the air quality through Sunday could be at unhealthy levels because of smoke and particulate matter.