PHOTOS: Smoky skies across Canada as wildfires rage
Digital Reporter
Sunday, August 19, 2018, 8:15 PM - British Columbia has experienced some of the worst widespread air quality on the planet, and conditions look to worsen over the coming days. However, it's not only B.C. struggling with hazy skies. Last week, all three Prairie provinces were under special air quality statements for high smoke concentrations. As of Monday, most of the statements dropped for the Prairies due to a shift in wind, but that could worsen the situation in B.C. once again.
"The signals are for some of these values and concentrations to continue to spill onto the B.C. coast on Monday and Tuesday," says The Weather Network meteorologist Tyler Hamilton. "Almost 500 micrograms per cubic metre of air, that's over 20 times higher than what the province benchmark is set at, or the recommendations to keep it below 25 micrograms."
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Unfortunately, with an offshore flow expected, smoke concentrations will increase along coastal regions, including the Lower Mainland. This can become dangerous at times with easterly winds throughout B.C.
"That smoke concentration is just going to increase on Monday and into Tuesday as well, as we await a trough of low pressure to push in during the middle of this week that will hopefully clear some of the air out along coastal British Columbia."
A special air quality statement remains in effect for a large swath of B.C. and the Foothills of Alberta. Air quality health index numbers are expected to hit 10+ for several areas.
