It is day 6 of a Smoky Skies Bulletin in Quesnel which begs the question of when will it finally be lifted.
We talked to Gail Roth, a Senior Air Quality Meteorologist with Environment Canada, about the current situation and what lies ahead.
“The smoke models right now are showing a trend of improvement through Monday. We will be watching over the weekend and updating the bulletin each day. It’s possible we may see it lifted tomorrow. If not, I would expect perhaps by Sunday.”
Roth says there are two main factors that will decide when it will be lifted.
“It’s really a product of a number of factors. The main two is the source generating the smoke which is the fires. In this case it is mainly coming from around Ootsa Lake, so west of Quesnel. If the fires sort of calm down and produce less smoke then you don’t have the source, but also the weather. It depends on how windy it is or the direction of the wind carrying that smoke.”
Roth says because the weather is so dynamic that’s why they usually go on a day by day basis with the bulletin .
She says once the bulletin is lifted there will still likely be some smoke in the area, just not as much.
Roth says the Air Quality Index, which accounts for all pollutants, was at 4 out of 10 in Quesnel this morning which is at the lower end of moderate.
She says it was down to 3 by noon so it is trending in the right direction.
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