Smoky conditions have returned to the Cariboo after a short reprieve over the weekend and into the first part of the week.
If the smell of wildfire smoke wasn’t thick in the air, you might think it was winter in Quesnel this morning, with visibility low and a distinct chill in the air.
Smoke is currently forecasted to cover our region until Friday, according to the latest update from Environment Canada, and the air quality advisory remains in effect.
Rain that had been forecast to begin tomorrow is now predicted to begin Saturday Aug. 25 and extend until Monday.
The Air Quality Health Index rating is back up to 10+, very high risk, in Quesnel, after yesterday’s moderate risk rating was allowing residents to breathe a little easier.
A rating of 10+ is now predicted until at least Thursday.
According to an app called Sh*t! I Smoke, which was designed to convert air quality around the world to cigarette smoking, Quesnel residents in the downtown area will breathe in the equivalent of 13 cigarettes today, if conditions remain the same.
According to the designer Amaury Martiny, the app was inspired by Berkeley Earth’s findings of the equivalence between air pollution and cigarette smoking. According to the app, the rule of thumb is one cigarette per day is the rough equivalent of a PM2.5 level of 22ug/m3.
READ MORE: App converts B.C. air quality to cigarettes smoked
Environment Canada’s smoky skies bulletin says winds are changing from a northeasterly direction to westerly today, which will give Coastal B.C. clearer skies but deteriorating the air quality in the Interior as smoke from the numerous wildfires in B.C. continue to burn.
Controlled burn operations on the Blackwater River Fire, North Baezaeko Fire and the Narcosli Creek Fire yesterday caused smoke to blow in across Quesnel. The BC Wildfire Service is reporting the burn operation on the Narcosli Creek Fire is set to continue today.
READ MORE: Smoke in Quesnel caused an increase in hospital visits, cancelled flights
editor@quesnelobserver.com
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