Penticton area can breathe easier now

Central Okanagan finally in the clear after 3 straight weeks on B.C.’s smoky skies bulletin

The Central Okanagan’s three-week streak on the B.C. Ministry of Environment’s smoky skies advisory came to an end Tuesday.

The region had been on the smoky skies bulletin consistently since Aug. 7, and before that from July 19 to Aug. 2.

Tuesday afternoon, the ministry removed it from the list, but kept the South and North Okanagan on the advisory.

“The Central Okanagan seemed like a good one we could remove, because there really aren’t any impacts from local fires right now,” Graham Veale, air quality meteorologist for the Ministry of Environment, said Tuesday. “We don’t feel at this point there’s a likelihood for smoke appearing, so people can go about their normal activities . . . but bear in mind we’re not necessarily done yet, and if conditions change a little, we could see a return of the smoke.”

The North and South Okanagan remained on the advisory because of the potential for smoke from nearby fires.

“It’s not that we’re saying for sure there will be smoke either present currently or that it will happen in the future. It’s just that there is the potential,” said Veale. “We’re seeing good air quality in most places, but if there is the potential for smoke we’d rather err on the side of caution and keep it covered under the smoky skies bulletin.”

A cool air mass moving across southern B.C. is causing unstable weather, bringing with it winds that are flushing out the atmosphere, said Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Lundquist.

“We may see more smoke on the weekend if the wind comes from the northwest, where most of the fires are,” he said.