Smoke still hangs over the Okanagan Valley.
The arrival of a trough of low-pressure last night brought fresh southwest winds, improving air quality over coastal regions. Widespread showers today and through the weekend will help slow wildfires over the Interior. However, it may take a few more days to see marked improvements in the air quality for the interior regions, according to Environment Canada in an air quality statement.
Kelowna currently has healthy air quality levels, registering with 13 PM2.5 Saturday morning. Coldstream was reported to have moderate levels of 53 PM2.5, which is the amount of tiny particles or droplets in the air.
Kelowna’s air quality is expected to remain at healthy levels throughout the week.
The scale ranges from 1 to 500+. Anything above 100 PM2.5 is considered to carry a health risk.
RELATED: Okanagan air quality levels worse than Jodhpur, India
For general information about wildfire smoke and your health, contact HealthLink BC at 8-1-1.
Stay inside if you have breathing difficulties. Find an indoor place that’s cool and ventilated. Using an air conditioner that cools and filters air may help. If you open the windows you may let in more polluted air. If your home isn’t air-conditioned, consider going to a public place (library, shopping mall, recreation centre) that is air-conditioned, the statement said.
READ MORE: Moderate smoke levels in the Okanagan Valley
For more information on current air quality, visit www.bcairquality.ca.
Visit www.airhealth.ca for information on how to reduce your health risk and your personal contribution to pollution levels, as well as for current and forecast AQHI values.
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