If conditions have felt a bit hazy in Vancouver the last couple of days, it’s not just in your imagination, as the air quality has degraded very quickly over the last week.
According to IQAir, which ranks air quality in major cities around the world, Vancouver is creeping up the leaderboard for the worst air quality.
IQAir updates its readings hourly, but as of 9 a.m., Vancouver was ranked 22nd for worst air quality with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 76. Vancouver has the worst air quality in the country among Canadian cities that IQAir ranks.
To put that into context, the worst city on IQAir’s rankings is Kwaut, which has an AQI of 208.
IQAir says the main pollutant in Vancouver skies right now is PM2.5, or fine particles. Looking at neighbourhoods, as of 9 a.m., IQAir says that the air quality in the West End is particularly bad, with an AQI of 107, which is “unhealthy for sensitive groups.”
According to IQAir’s hourly forecast, it expects conditions to improve over the course of the day.
IQAir West End forecast.
Metro Vancouver Regional District also has its own Air Quality Health Index, which ranks regions based on low, medium, high or very high risk. As of 9:20 a.m. on July 22, parts of the Eastern Fraser Valley are experiencing high risk, while Metro Vancouver is seeing low risk.
Southwest Metro Vancouver is facing medium risk.
At around 11:22 a.m., Metro Vancouver issued a yellow air quality warning that suggested residents in Vancouver, Burnaby, New West, North Shore, Richmond, Delta, Tsawwassen, Pitt Meadows, Maple Ridge, Surrey, White Rock and Langley should limit outdoor activity duration and intensity.
“Ground-level ozone (smog) is expected to reach elevated levels in eastern parts of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley this afternoon due to a combination of hot and sunny weather, local emissions, and wildfire smoke,” the district said.
A big reason for the shift in air quality is a recent increase in the number of wildfires happening around the province. Contrary to today’s AQI, last week, Vancouver was actually ranked among the top 10 cities in the world by IQAir.
While it’s not ideal, it’s certainly not as bad as what Ontario residents have experienced in recent weeks, nor as bad as it has been in B.C. in recent years.