Air quality expert calls for more potential smoke this weekend
Since the recent rain, the air quality in Metro Vancouver has improved greatly. But with a change of weather ahead and a possible return of wildfire smoke around the corner, it could get hazy again this weekend.
“We are looking at the potential return to smoke,” Kyle Howe, an air quality analyst with the Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD), told Daily Hive. “I don’t think concentrations are going to be super high compared to what we have had previously.”
Wildfire smoke in Metro Vancouver
While monitoring tools suggest that there could be smoke this weekend, how much we may actually see is still unclear.
Starting on Friday, Metro Vancouver will see the return of warm and sunny conditions. Wildfire smoke as a result of outflow winds is possible. This week’s smoke event is likely going to be confined to Friday and Saturday as another weather system and more wind will move in on Sunday.
Wildfire behaviour has changed recently due to cooler weather and some rainfall. “The rain has helped some of the fire activity to be reduced, and it’s difficult at this point to see smoke being produced because it’s cloudy,” said Howe.
“The fires are not out, they are still burning, but it’s a question of how much smoke they will produce in the next couple of days.”
Where is the smoke coming from?
According to Howe, smoke that could come into Metro Vancouver is likely to come from fires burning in southern portions of BC. Wildfires at Stein Mountain, Kookipi Creek, Duncan Lake, and Caspar Creek are big contributors to smoke, but there are also some smaller fires in the region, too.
The future of smoke in Metro Vancouver
MVRD staff look at and measure air quality data continuously throughout the year. Wildfire season, and its associated air quality effects, don’t end until all the fires are out.
“Historically, that may have been sometime in September, but last year we saw impacts all the way into October, which was new to us,” said Howe.
For more information on air quality in Metro Vancouver and to see the Air Map, you can visit the MVRD’s website. The Air Map includes all the real-time information on the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) and any air quality advisories that may be issued.
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