In connection with the extremely dry conditions in Western Canada this spring, dangerous and unpredictable forest fires have been burning in provinces to the West.
The most prominent fire burning, the Chuckegg Creek wildfire, on Tuesday reached 130,000 hectares in size. As a result of its proximity to of High Level, Alberta the town’s 5000 residents were evacuated last week.
With upper level winds coming from the Northwest, those in Brandon received a reminder of just how connected we are on Tuesday-into-Wednesday with haze connected with those fires drifting into our area.
On Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) for Brandon, the city at 6am on Wednesday morning rated a 2 (Low Risk). That is forecast to rise to a 4 or Moderate Risk for both Wednesday and Wednesday night, improving to a 3 but continuing to linger for Thursday. For the most current conditions and forecast for Brandon, click here
According to information on the national AQHI website, when readings reaches the Moderate level it’s recommended that the at-risk population including people with heart or breathing problems consider reducing or rescheduling outdoor activities if experiencing symptoms. For the general public there’s said to be no need to modify outdoor activities unless experiencing symptoms such as coughing or throat irritation.
A map that shows recent and forecast concentration of smoke particles at ground level can be found at https://weather.gc.ca/firework/firework_anim_e.html?type=em&utc=12
Smoke aside, Wednesday and Thursday in Brandon are forecast to be the year’s hottest days to-date with highs of 28 and 31 degrees respectively.