Wildfire smoke heading deeper into the Okanagan

A Special Air Quality Statement has been expanded through to the South and Central Okanagan.

The smoke started to pour in yesterday for the South Thompson and North Okanagan and now the entire Okanagan, along with the Boundary region, are getting smoke in time for the long weekend.

The Air Quality Health Index shows a Level 8 or high risk level in the North Okanagan out of a scale of 10. The risk is forecast to drop to Level 4, or moderate rating, later today and into tomorrow.

The Central Okanagan has a Level 6 (moderate) rating. It’s expected to clear to 3 (low) later today and drop further tomorrow.

Kamloops is expected to move in the other direction with a 2 (low) ranking now but climbing to 4 (moderate) later today and into tomorrow.

No current rating is listed for the South Okanagan. The forecast there is 3 (low) today dropping to 2 tomorrow.

Go here for the Air Quality Health Index.

Go here for air quality statements.


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Rob Munro

Rob Munro

Rob Munro has a long history in journalism after starting an underground newspaper in Whitehorse called the Yukon Howl in 1980. He spent five years at the 100 Mile Free Press, starting in the darkroom, moving on to sports and news reporting before becoming the advertising manager. He came to Kelowna in 1989 as a reporter for the Kelowna Daily Courier, and spent the 1990s mostly covering city hall. For most of the past 20 years he worked full time for the union representing newspaper workers throughout B.C. He’s returned to his true love of being a reporter with a special focus on civic politics