Smoky skies in Winnipeg won’t last: Environment Canada

Smoke lingering over Winnipeg on Monday morning won’t last long, according to Environment Canada.

An approaching cold front is set to clear most of the smoke that has been pushing through the city, and experts assure the smoky skies won’t have a negative effect on air quality.

The province has seen more than 500 forest fires this season, and smoke is beginning to drift across Manitoba.

READ MORE: 1,500 more evacuated as Manitoba wildfire rages on

Robyn Dyck, who is a meteorologist with Environment Canada, says incoming rain will wipe out the smoke.

“We have a cold front that’s about to go through the city,” Dyck said. “We have some pretty decent fires so smoke from the fires has pooled, but as rain and lightning pushes through, we should see some clearing.”

READ MORE: Forest fire forces evacuation of Poplar River First Nation

On Monday morning, Dyck said the smoke was very noticeable.

“It’s in the air,” Dyck said. “We’re smelling it, we’re tasting it.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It's in the air," Dyck said. "We're smelling it, we're tasting it."

Environment Canada, however, said it’s not something for residents to be worried about. The air quality index in Winnipeg sat at 2 on Labour Day morning, but in order to have a negative impact on residents, it would need to be closer to 7.