Shift in weather could push wildfire smoke from Lower Mainland back into B.C. Interior
The smoke that has blanketed most of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley since Sunday morning could soon be gone.
An air quality advisory remains in place for the region, but Environment Canada meteorologist Alyssa Charbonneau said the smoke could be pushed out as early as Tuesday.
“Today, particularly by the water, it’s not too bad,” Charbonneau told CTV News Monday.
“In the Lower Mainland, we are expecting a shift in the weather pattern tomorrow could start to clear this out."
While the haze has diminished air quality in the region, Charbonneau said it’s still far from the conditions in B.C.’s fire zones.
“It’s nowhere near what they’re seeing in the Interior," she said.
With around 240 wildfires currently burning across the province, the smoke is presenting more challenges for suppression crews. The shift in the weather, which will push the smoke back towards the Interior, is expected to make an already difficult situation even worse.
"Unfortunately this grounds our aircraft in many areas,” said Jean Strong of the B.C. Wildfire Service.
“This is harmful for not only suppression activities but also getting in the air."
Some cooler temperatures and rain are in the forecast, however there’s also the potential for some more extreme weather.
“We do have risk of thunderstorms across much of B.C.,” Charbonneau said.
As of Monday evening, more than 25,000 properties are either under an evacuation order or alert.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
Actor Bernard Hill, of 'Titanic' and 'Lord of the Rings,' has died at 79
Actor Bernard Hill, who delivered a rousing cry before leading his people into battle in 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' and went down with the ship as the captain in 'Titanic,' has died.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.