The wildfire smoke is back in southwest B.C., but it's not as bad as before
A haze settled over Metro Vancouver on Wednesday morning as wildfires continue to rage south of the border.
Smoke from fires in California has drifted up to the South Coast of British Columbia once again, but experts say the air quality risk is nowhere near as high as it was earlier this month, when a thick plume blanketed the region.
According to Environment Canada, the air quality health index is low risk province-wide most of Wednesday, rising to moderate risk in the evening and through Thursday over Metro Vancouver and southern Vancouver Island only.
The index is expected to hit a high of five in those regions, compared to 10-plus two weeks ago.
CBC meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe says this means Metro Vancouver residents can expect temperatures Wednesday to still get close to the projected 20-26 C across the Lower Mainland, with some humidity due to the muggy conditions.
No health alerts have been issued by Environment Canada or Metro Vancouver for B.C. residents due to the offending smoke at this time.
"All our indications show us that this event will be 10 to 20 times less than the one we had two weeks ago," said Wagstaffe.
As of Wednesday morning, the fires in California were still only two per cent contained.
New fires erupted Sunday in the famed Napa-Sonoma wine region and in northern California's Shasta County, forcing hasty evacuations of neighbourhoods. Thousands of residents remain out of their homes and structures continue to burn.
