Metro Vancouver issues air quality warning as wildfire smoke drifts in
Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley residents are being urged to use caution as an air quality warning is in place to start the week.
The Metro Vancouver Regional District issued the air quality advisory on Monday, July 6, for the Eastern Fraser Valley.
According to the advisory, the yellow air quality warning was issued due to elevated fine particulate matter (PM2.5) caused by a wildfire in the Fraser Canyon.
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“Air quality in the Eastern Fraser Valley has been affected by smoke from the Brunswick Creek wildfire near Boston Bar in the Fraser Canyon,” said Metro Vancouver in a release.
“This wildfire has grown in size, and smoke travelled down the Fraser Canyon into the Eastern Fraser Valley overnight. Onshore flow of cleaner air is expected to help clear the air through the day. Smoke levels can change quickly with weather and fire behaviour.”
The first full week of July is starting off warm, but the Vancouver forecast will soon settle into a “sweet spot” of temperatures before things get hot again.
Monday’s temperatures will reach up to 27°C inland, and it will feel up to 30°C inland with the humidex.
“Things may be hazy for a bit due to the wildfire smoke,” Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) meteorologist Terri Lang told Daily Hive.
“Coupled with the sunshine, there may be some low-level pollution.”
Things to know during the air quality warning
The Metro Vancouver Regional District explained that PM2.5 are small particles that affect lung and heart health, and can be caused by wildfire smoke, vehicles, industry, and burning material
The district advises limited outdoor activities and their intensity while PM2.5 levels are high.
Some people are more at risk from lower air quality than others, including:
- people with underlying conditions (e.g., asthma, lung disease, heart disease)
- pregnant people
- older adults
- children and infants
- outdoor workers
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Metro Vancouver announced this spring that it would implement a new way to alert people of the risk level when issuing air quality warnings.
The Metro Vancouver Regional District is now using a colour-coded system to align its Air Quality Warning System to match ECCC’s weather alerts.
Last November, ECCC introduced a colour-coded system to make it easier for people to understand how severe the weather might be quickly and its possible risks at a glance.
Now, Metro Vancouver is using the same method. It will issue warnings in yellow to indicate a high health risk. If it is a very high health risk, it will be issued as orange.
With files from Daily Hive staff