Smoke-filled weekend ahead on the prairies: Environment Canada

There’s a smoky weekend ahead for people on the prairies.

As wildfires continue to rage in the north, smoke is being pushed down south.

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Air quality advisories from Environment Canada covered a majority of the province on Friday, including major cities like Prince Albert, Saskatoon, and Regina.

Christy Climenhaga, a scientist with Environment Canada, said the smoke is causing or is expected to cause poor air quality and reduced visibility for most of Friday and Saturday.

“Air quality is supposed to be kind of poor until we get to the overnight; then we’ll see a wind shift out of the southwest which will help clear things up a little bit,” she said.

“There’s still a chance of some smoke tomorrow, but then it will ease up a little bit into the day on Saturday,” said Climehaga.

Regina, Saskatoon, and Prince Albert are all expected to reach a 9 or higher on the air quality index on Friday. The highest point the index can reach is a 10+.

As that smoke drifts into the province, it can lead to health issues for some people.

People most affected by wildfire smoke are those aged 65 and older, pregnant women, infants and young children, along people with an existing illness or chronic health condition and people who work outdoors.

Due to the poor air quality, Environment Canada advised residents to avoid strenuous activities outdoors and seek medical attention if they begin to experience serious symptoms such as wheezing, chest pains or a severe cough.

Some more mild and common symptoms include eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, or a mild cough.

As smoke levels increase, health risks increase as well. The weather service said people in smoky areas should limit their time outdoors and consider reducing or rescheduling outdoor sports, activities and events.

Speaking of outdoor sports, there is a big one planned for Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders will take on the Calgary Stampeders at home Friday night, but according to Climenhaga there’s a chance that the game could be impacted by the smoke.

“It’s looking like a pretty extensive plume moving into parts of southern and southeastern Saskatchewan,” she said.

“It looks like it will ease up through the later overnight period, but there will likely still be some smoke in the region.”

According to the CFL’s website, if the air quality health index reaches an 8 or above during warmups or the game, the on-site league representative will enact the league’s air quality procedure, which would automatically stop the game and send teams back to their dressing rooms.

No CFL game in Saskatchewan has ever been cancelled due to smoke, but games have been delayed in the past.

The latest information on the air quality alerts can be found on Environment Canada’s website.