Wildfire smoke prompts air quality warnings for Calgary and surrounding areas
Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued air quality alerts for Calgary and surrounding areas due to wildfire smoke drifting from British Columbia and the U.S. Officials warn that smoke forecasting remains difficult due to unpredictable fire behavior.
Why it matters
The recurring issue of wildfire smoke poses significant public health risks and highlights the ongoing impact of climate change on regional air quality.
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) issued an "orange" alert for poor air quality in Calgary and surrounding communities, such as Airdrie and Banff.
Heat warnings are also in effect for the southern and east-central regions of the province.
According to the federal Air Quality Health Index , Calgary's air quality hit the highest risk level at 10-plus, posing a very high risk. Airdrie and Red Deer were also rated as very high risk.
Janelle Gergely, a meteorologist with ECCC, said smoke levels became elevated Thursday evening and quickly escalated overnight.
"We're anticipating levels to drop as the upper winds shift," she said. "That's going to cut off the source of smoke. However, we're still going to have lingering smoke in the area that will take some time to disperse."
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