Poor air quality and smoky skies could be on the way for Metro Vancouver
Posted August 18, 2023 5:31 pm.
Last Updated August 18, 2023 5:42 pm.
The Metro Vancouver Regional District says air quality could get worse in and around the city over the weekend as the wildfires throughout the province continue to burn.
Data from the BC Wildfire Service shows 381 active fires burning — and that smoke has to go somewhere.
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As of Friday afternoon, quality in the city remains at a two, which is considered low risk, while much of the rest of the province deals with smoky skies. B.C.’s air quality index shows moderate levels of risk in Kamloops, the North Okanagan, and Castlegar.
Meanwhile, air quality in the Central Okanagan region has been measured at 10+, which is considered very high risk. This comes as West Kelowna and the surrounding area deal with a raging out-of-control wildfire.
West Kelowna fire crews became trapped overnight into Friday, a fire chief says. (Supplied)
Forecasting models for the coming days suggest significant levels of wildfire smoke could move toward Vancouver and the rest of the west coast.
The Metro Vancouver Regional District typically issues a warning if air quality takes a drastic turn for the worse — as it did on July 6 due to “high concentrations of ground-level ozone.”
