Air quality statements issued by Environment Canada for much of Alberta on Wednesday morning were dropped for the Edmonton and Calgary region on Friday. However, they remained across southern Alberta.
Thick smoke produced by the B.C. wildfires moved back into the province on Wednesday afternoon, reducing visibility and causing poor air quality.
Alberta Health measures the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) on a scale of one to 10, with the higher the number, the greater the health risk.
The Air Quality Health Index for Edmonton and Calgary reached an off-the-charts 10+ — or a very high risk — on Thursday. That poor air quality affected people from the Grande Prairie area in the northwest — which also reached 10+ Thursday — all the way south to the Lethbridge region.
The AQHI for Hinton, Lethbridge and Medicine Hat was very high Friday morning (7 to 8 on the scale,) and Calgary was at a moderate 6, as thick smoke continued to blanket those regions.
However cooler weather, with wind and rains, moved into other parts of the province, causing the air quality to drop to a 1 on the health index. (See chart below.)
The smoke can cause people to experience increased coughing, throat irritation, headaches or shortness of breath. Children, seniors, and those with cardiovascular or lung disease, such as asthma, are especially at risk.
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Watch below: Global meteorologist Jesse Beyer has the weather forecast for Edmonton and surrounding areas for Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018.
People are advised to stay inside and find a cool, ventilated space if they have difficulty breathing.
Alberta Health Services said Thursday there had been an increase in calls to Health Link regarding concerns or questions about air quality, but it hadn’t caused call delays.
“Albertans seem to be mainly experiencing cough, scratchy throat, sore eyes,” an AHS spokesperson said, adding very few callers are being advised to seek medical attention.
On Wednesday, AHS spoke to six symptomatic patients and six non-symptomatic patients. As of 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, AHS had spoken to four symptomatic patients and two non-symptomatic patients.
Smoke from the B.C. wildfires has been very apparent across Alberta for the past several weeks. Earlier this week, Environment Canada released statistics that show both Edmonton and Calgary have been hit with more smoke this year than ever before.
Watch below: On Wednesday, Aug. 15, Edmontonians woke up to eerily orange skies due to smoke from the B.C. wildfires
The numbers suggest there have been 168 hours of smoke in Alberta’s capital between May and September, which surpassed the previous high of 110 hours in 1961.
Calgary has experienced the most smoke hours in Alberta so far this year at 316, as of noon on Monday. The city surpassed the previous high of 315 hours set just a year earlier.
For the latest information on air quality statements and to find out the AQHI in your area, visit Environment Canada’s website.
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