By Jaryn Vecchio

Poor air quality across central, northern Sask. as wildfire smoke lingers

Aug 15, 2023 | 5:17 PM

A large swath of Saskatchewan is being forced to deal with wildfire smoke coming from the Northwest Territories and Northern Alberta.

This has led to special air quality statements being issued for multiple communities including Prince Albert, North Battleford, Meadow Lake, La Ronge, Melfort, and Saskatoon.

The Air Quality Health Index, which rates the amount of air pollution on a scale of one to 10+, is also peaking because of the smoke.

Terri Lang, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said many communities are currently in the 10+ range.

“Lower values put different parts of the population at risk like those with preexisting conditions, breathing issues, that type of thing. When it gets to seven and above, it puts the whole population at risk,” she said.

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Because of this, the weather agency is recommending people drink as much water as possible and avoid any strenuous activities. Lang noted the best advice they can give is for people to try and avoid being outside as much as possible.

“Trying to be indoors where the smoke can settle out or is filtered out is probably your best bet.”

The smoke is expected to move on Tuesday night. However, Lang explained that might be short-lived.

“We have a system going through (Wednesday) and that’ll bring a wind shift back to the northwest and that’s likely to bring the smoke back in.”

Moving forward, people across Saskatchewan can expect wildfire smoke to wander in throughout the rest of the summer and into the fall.

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Jaryn.Vecchio@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow