With a State of Emergency in Saskatchewan thanks to a large number of northern wildfires, it's likely we'll see some smoke in the air in the southeast soon. In the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency's latest release, they stated that 17 wildfires are currently ongoing, with over 200 confirmed year-to-date.
Environment and Climate Change Canada Meteorologist Danielle Desjardins talks about when we can expect the smoke to hit the southeast.
"We have issued air quality statements and warnings, with very poor air quality across the northern half of the province. But that smoke, we're seeing a cold front track across the northern portion of the province today. That's going to shift the winds to the northwest across the province, which will actually bring the smoke down further south."
Current air quality warnings have extended down to Saskatoon, but Desjardins says those could sink even lower down to Regina and even creep into the southeast.
Depending on how the winds shift and the fires continue this summer, we could be seeing a lot more smoke than we have so far.
"The south has been relatively smoke-free so far due to the southerly winds and just basically the wind patterns. So that smoke has been wafted north as opposed to south. But as I mentioned, with this cold front moving through, we are expecting that shift in wind to shift the smoke pattern to track further south and east into the province, or the southeastern portion of the province."
With smoke making an appearance in the southeast, Desjardins gives some tips for people to stay safe from smoke inhalation.
"Everybody is at risk when we are dealing with air pollution and smoke inhalation. There are some people who are at higher risk, including seniors, infants and young children. People who work outdoors, if they are performing strenuous outdoor exercise."
Desjardins lists some of the ways to help mitigate the smoke's effects, some of which may be unfortunate with what looks to be a sunny and warm weekend.
"Unfortunately, staying indoors and not inhaling that smoke is one of the recommendations. You can reschedule outdoor sporting events if you can. If you can limit your time outdoors, that's preferable. But keep in mind, there are some signs that you are experiencing some effects due to smoke, such as irritated eyes or coughing or difficulty breathing. So be aware of those symptoms and go inside if you are feeling any of those symptoms."
The SPSA is putting out daily updates on the wildfires currently raging, as smoke could last into next week.