Strathmore residents are stepping into a smoky fall. Through the haze and the familiar smell of smoke, officials are urging the public to follow safety precautions.
An air quality warning was issued Tuesday (Sept. 2) for Wheatland County and surrounding areas and remains in effect.
The smoke first settled over Southern Alberta during the Labour Day long weekend.
"We've seen quite a bit of smoke coming from fire both in the Northwest Territories and now from fires in B.C.," said Christy Climenhaga, a scientist with Environment Canada.
Climenhaga noted that although smoky conditions have improved, air quality still remains a concern.
"[We're] seeing some elevated Air Quality Health Index values with that smoke in the region," she said. "[There's] fairly poor air quality in both of the major cities, Calgary and the Edmonton area, and towards Strathmore, [where there's] a moderate risk for air quality."
Climenhaga added that the smoky conditions are expected to continue throughout the day.
Looking ahead to the rest of the week, more smoke could roll in.
"We do have winds coming in out of the north for tonight and tomorrow, and a lot of that smoke is in the Northwest Territories, so that could bring in some more smoke," Climenhaga said.
On the bright side, she noted that smoke conditions can change quickly.
While this week has been hazy, Climenhaga revealed that this year's wildfire smoke hasn't been as intense compared to past seasons. Environment Canada tracks smoke levels by measuring total "smoke hours."
"So far we've had a fairly slower start to our smoky season," she said. "In the Calgary area, we've had 76 smoke hours this year. To put that in perspective, last year, through the entire season to the end of October, we had 200 smoke hours. The year before was our record high year of 512."
This year marks the least smoky conditions since 2019.
With warnings still in place, Climenhaga reminded residents to monitor official warnings and consider limiting outdoor activity as needed.