Another hazy day in B.C. as smoke from U.S. wildfires lingers overhead

Skies over much of southern British Columbia were hazy again Wednesday assmoke from aggressive wildfires in Washington state lingeredover the province for a second straight day.

Special air qualitystatements remain in effect for Vancouver Island, Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley andthe Okanagan, as well as the Kootenayand Boundary regions. Environment Canada said air quality ratings are better than the "very high" risk level seen in some areas on Tuesday, but there willstill be a fair riskon Wednesday.

"Air quality has been drastically improving. We're still at a moderate level, but at least not the high air quality index numbers that we saw yesterday afternoon," said Bobby Sekhon, a warning preparedness meteorologistwith the agency.

Smoke from the U.S. wildfires left an ashy grey haze over B.C. on Tuesday:

Smoke from Washington state fires leaves haze over B.C.

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Skies were hazy over much of southern British Columbia on Tuesday after smoke from wildfires in Washington state drifted north on Labour Day Monday.

Metro Vancouver issued a newadvisory forelevated ground-level ozone on Wednesday. Ground-level ozoneis a colourless, odourlessgas which forms just above the surface of the groundwhen existing pollutants react in the sunlight. It is not emitted into the air, but can irritatethe respiratory tract and eyes.

Ground-level ozone levels are typically highest in the mid-afternoon and early evening on a hot day.

Older adults, pregnant woman, infants, children and people with pre-existing health conditions as well as those with respiratory infections like COVID-19 are "more likely to experience health effects from smoke exposure," Environment Canada says.

Sekhon said people with risk factors should drink plenty of water and avoid strenuous activity outside.

The bulletin noted some of the smoke seen in theKootenaysmight be coming from the region's Doctor Creek and Talbott Creek wildfires, as well as from fires in the U.S.

The skies in southern B.C. were visibly smoky for much of the day Tuesday. Residents woke to the smell and taste of smoke in the air, with a grey haze blotting out what should have been a blue sky. By the end of the day, a series of air quality advisories were in effect.

Risk levels were highest in the Greater Victoria and Okanagan areas, reaching the 10+ rating, signalling a "very high" risk of impact to health.

High heat and gusting winds kickedup wildfires in Washington state over the long weekend, burning hundreds of thousands of acres in a matter of days. Winds drew the smoke into B.C. on Monday and ahigh-pressure weather system is holding the smog in place.

Carol Connolly, a public information officer with the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in the U.S., said she expects the smoke to linger over parts of B.C. for at least the next few days.

Wildfires have also raged unchecked in Oregon and California, destroying hundreds of buildings and forcing thousands to flee their homes.

Unseasonally hot

Unusually hot temperaturesare also expected in southern B.C. for the rest of the week. Special weather statements said it will be 5-10 C warmer than seasonal averages.

"We're going to see temperatures between the mid-20s into the low 30s for Metro Vancouver into Friday," said Sekhon.

Even warmer weather is expected inland, like areas ofthe Fraser Valley and the Okanagan.

"It's a warm stretch into September, which doesn't happen all the time," Sekhon said.