Wildfire smoke expected to lift in Manitoba, but 'this is the season': meteorologist

The smoke blowing over much of Manitoba is forecast to ease on Friday, but with fires in the province's north, and in Ontario and Saskatchewan, it may return, an Environment Canada meteorologist says.

Wildfire smoke expected to lift in Manitoba, but 'this is the season': meteorologist Smoke should move out with low-pressure system but is likely to return, Environment Canada's Robyn Dyck says The smoke blowing over much of Manitoba is forecast to ease on Friday, but with fires in the province's north, and in Ontario and Saskatchewan, people should watch for it to return, a meteorologist says. "Unfortunately, this is the season," said Environment and Climate Change Canada's Robyn Dyck. "The fires, they're not going anywhere quickly."

The air quality health index in Winnipeg at 9 a.m. was 10+, which Environment Canada calls "very high risk." The agency advises people to avoid strenuous activities outdoors when the air quality hits that point. Older people, children and people with respiratory issues are particularly vulnerable.

The index had dropped to 7, in the "high risk" category, by 10 a.m. It's forecast to move to 4 — moderate risk — by Friday night, and then 3, which is low risk, on Saturday. "It does seem, for the short term, the smoke will be funnelled out," Dyck said.

Southeasterly winds blew in smoke from fires burning in Ontario overnight. "The winds have shifted to the northwest ... but we are still on the edge of that smoke," Dyck said Friday morning. A low-pressure system is moving through and once it moves out, the smoke should clear for a while, she said.

But a ridge of high pressure, which will bring heat, is forecast in the future, potentially bringing in more smoke, said Dyck. "Really it's about what direction and how quickly [the wind] is moving in and out for the rest of the summer." There are a lot of fires, so even with northwesterly winds, smoke can come in from northern Manitoba and northern Saskatchewan, she said.

People wishing to know the smoke forecast can check Environment Canada's website. Seven-day forecast pages include a link to a two-day air quality forecast. When the air quality health index reaches 4 to 6, a forecast for smoke is made.

"When it hits a 7, that's when we say time to go inside, mask up, those types of things to keep yourself safe," Dyck said. Children, older people and people with respiratory issues are particularly vulnerable. "Not everyone will be impacted in the same way, and that's why it's really up to individuals to figure out their own needs," she said.

"I would just keep an eye out on the Environment Canada website for when those alerts are lifted and then when they're reissued."