An air quality warning that was issued earlier this week has been expanded to incorporate more of B.C.
Yesterday, the Metro Vancouver Regional District (MVRD) issued an air quality warning for parts of the Fraser Valley, including Chilliwack, Agassiz and Hope. MVRD said that there was a high health risk associated with the warning.
Today, the advisory has been expanded to include two more cities in the Fraser Valley: Abbotsford and Mission, and MVRD’s high health risk warning applies to these cities as well.
Depending on which city we’re looking at, the air quality worsens significantly.
According to IQAir, as of 3:45 p.m., Chilliwack has an air quality index of 151, which is very bad.
IQAir
To put that number into perspective, the third-worst city on IQAir’s world rankings is Lahore, Pakistan, and its air quality index is 155, just four points worse than Chilliwack.
IQAir
Conditions are slightly better in Abbotsford, which as of 3:45 p.m. had an air quality index of 103.
Reports in both cities suggest that the air quality is “unhealthy for sensitive groups.”
Fortunately, the forecast suggests conditions are expected to improve over the course of the evening into tomorrow.
MVRD says that the cause for the worsening air quality is mainly smoke from wildfires in B.C., including the “complex of wildfires near Boston Bar and Manning Park, as well as wildfires in Washington and Oregon.”
MVRD adds that smoke levels can change quickly with weather and fire behaviour.
The warning was issued as a result of elevated fine particulate matter.
“Conditions may last until there is a change in the weather,” MVRD adds.
There may possibly be a change in the weather later today, as earlier Environment and Climate Change Canada forecasted a risk of thunderstorms in Vancouver and parts of the province.
Compared to the Fraser Valley, the air in Metro Vancouver is much easier to breathe, with an index of 55.