Smoke expected to return to Lower Mainland as wildfires continue to burn in B.C. Interior
Posted August 17, 2021 6:14 am.
Last Updated August 17, 2021 10:46 am.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Wildfire smoke is expected to start creeping back into the Lower Mainland.
Meteorologist Michael Kuss says as the low that brought the cloud cover and showers moves east, wind may start drawing in some of that haze from the Interior over the next few days.
“With winds coming in out of the north, northeast, that has the potential to draw in at least some light wildfire smoke back toward the South Coast. Nothing as extensive as we saw on the weekend, but maybe a little hazy under a sunny sky into Wednesday and Thursday,” he explained.
The latest forecast modelling from FireSmoke Canada also shows smoke from fires burning in B.C.’s southern Interior and elsewhere is expected to start permeating the Lower Mainland yet again. The smoke is expected to arrive as early as Tuesday afternoon.
The forecasts put out by FireSmoke Canada is produced by the Weather Forecast Research Team at UBC, with support from various other agencies.
The return of smoke will come just days after a heavy haze from fires forced air quality advisories across the region. At one point last week, Vancouver recorded the worst air quality of any major city in the world, in large part due to the wildfires in this province and south of the border.
Related video: Wildfires close B.C.’s Coquihalla Highway
The air cleared up as the weekend drew to a close, as cooler, wetter weather made its way through the region. However, there wasn’t enough rain to douse flames across the southern Interior, and many parts of B.C. continue to grapple with tinder dry conditions.
Forests Minister Katrine Conroy warned on Monday that the wildfire situation in B.C. isn’t getting any better currently.
“We are facing some of the toughest wildfire conditions we’ve ever seen in this province. Unprecedented heat and severe drought in many areas set the stage for what we’re experiencing right now, including extremely aggressive fire behaviour in many places,” she said.
Related articles:
-
Wildfire destroys homes and vacation properties near Kelowna
-
Coquihalla closure overwhelming route through Princeton, mayor wants province to step in
-
Fire-ravaged B.C. needs federal aid, not federal election: Interior mayor
B.C.’s deputy minister of forests said crews will likely be fighting some of the larger fires in the south-central Interior “right up until the snow falls, even though it will get cooler.”
“It’s because it is so dry, and the winds continue to be challenging in these conditions with no precipitation,” said Rick Manwaring.
While B.C. has had to deal with three heatwaves over the past several weeks, upcoming predictions show cooler days ahead.
The BC Wildfire Service says medium-to-short-term forecasts show lower temperatures for the rest of the month, which is likely welcome news for many.
“We’re looking at a cooling off and more seasonal outlook for the rest of August,” explained BCWS Executive Director Ian Meier. “We did see a seasonal outlook for September from Environment Canada that is indicating a similar weather pattern to August for September, and then possibly seeing a bit of reprieve in October.”
There are currently more than 260 wildfires burning across B.C. The majority of the fires are burning in the Kamloops and Southeast fire centres.
The B.C. wildfire dashboard for Tuesday, August 17, 2021. (Courtesy B.C. government)
-With files from Marcella Bernardo and Lisa Steacy
