Forecasters predict Prairie wildfire smoke could cause hazy skies across Canada
Global News
Environment Canada says the smoke is causing or expected to cause poor air quality and reduced visibility that can fluctuate and vary hour by hour.
Wildfire smoke from the Prairies was forecast Sunday to fill many of the skies from Vancouver Island to Charlottetown with gritty, hazy dust.
Weather maps for Environment and Climate Change Canada showed air quality statements and warnings, stretching from British Columbia in the west to New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island in the east.
Southern parts of the Northwest Territories, as well as much of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, also were affected.
The smoke was causing or expected to cause poor air quality and reduced visibility, the weather office said. It added that some areas were expected to see the smoke last until Monday.
“As smoke levels increase, health risks increase,” reads an air quality statement.
The weather agency said the poor air quality can cause eye, nose and throat irritation, while more serious but less common symptoms include chest pains and a severe cough.
IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company, said Toronto had some of the worst air quality in the world — at one point sitting at second before dropping to fourth place.
It comes as more than 700 wildfires burn across Canada, including one on the north banks of Cameron Lake in B.C., about 60 kilometres from the city of Nanaimo, that forced hundreds to flee.
