Okanagan residents can finally breathe easy.
A special air quality statement for the Okanagan, Boundary, South Thompson and North Thompson regions of the B.C. Southern Interior has been lifted.
Blue skies prevailed on Sunday for the first time in nearly two weeks as smoke from wildfires burning in California, Oregon and Washington State blanketed many parts of B.C.
Environment Canada meteorologist Dog Lundquist explains the changing weather patterns.
“On Friday and Saturday, the flow moved over the southwest so we got air from well over the pacific. That brought cleaner air over us. Plus, we had instability. There were some showers and thunderstorms around and that stirred that clean air down to the surface,” he told Global News.
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Lundquist says a bit of smoke could arrive in the Kootenays on Wednesday, but he is confident cooler temperatures will keep the risk at bay.
“I’m hoping that things cooled down enough that it won’t be anything like what we saw,” he said.
Metro Vancouver also ended the fine particulate matter air quality advisory that has been in effect since Sept. 8, saying clean air is now flowing through the region.
The B.C. Ministry of Environment’s smoky skies bulletin remained in effect Sunday across southeastern B.C. where localized pockets of smoke remain in narrow valleys.
However, the Air Quality Health Index is pegged at 1-2 in all regions of B.C., indicating a low health risk.
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