Relief from smoke by weekend

KELOWNA — Despite some relief from the smoke Tuesday, experts say there are still a few more days to endure before it clears.

“Yesterday, we saw a significant relief in the Okanagan throughout the day, but the smoke concentrations started picking up again late in the afternoon and continued to rise throughout the night,” says air quality meteorologist, Tarek Ayache.

He says the smoke concentration today remains high.

“As of this morning, the hourly smoke concentration in Kelowna remains high at 108 micrograms per cubic meter, and the average concentration over the past 24 hours is at 50 micrograms per cubic meter, which is twice the acceptable limit.”

Most of the smoke that has blanketed the Okanagan since last weekend is coming from the Stickpin wildfire in Washington State.

Ayache says the smoke will last for a few more days.

“As long as the wildfires remain active in Washington State, we expect the smoky conditions and poor air quality to continue until Friday,” says Ayache.

He says the winds will continue to blow from the southwest — blowing more smoke into the Okanagan.

Ayache says the relief from the smoke will happen over the weekend.

“We’re hoping that conditions will significantly improve over the weekend,” says Ayache.