It’s another smoky day in the YQR.

Samantha Mauti of Environment and Climate Change Canada explains why we’ve had special air quality statements for much of southern Saskatchewan most of the past few days.  

“Over the last couple of days, the general circulation of the atmosphere has brought some wildfire smoke from B.C., generally into the southern parts of the prairies,” Mauti said. “However we did have a system develop in the southern end of B.C. develop and those fronts are kind of stretching down into the southern prairies.”

And voila, wildfire smoke from two provinces away is now entering our lungs. .

While the air quality advisory may be gone this afternoon, the famously unpredictable plumes of smoke might return before too long.  

“Once the more dense smoke gets pushed out this afternoon and into the evening, there’s still the possibility of localized smoke in the next day or so,” Mauti said. “So it could just be a short term improvement in air quality.”

Regina in 2023 has seen it’s smokiest recorded year, with 257 smoke hours this year compared with 184 smoke hours in the previous record year, 2021.