A special air quality statement has been issued for Weyburn and much of southeastern Saskatchewan due to wildfire smoke. The smoke, originating from fires in northern Saskatchewan and northern Manitoba, has been pushed into the region by a northerly wind following a cold front that passed through the area last night.
According to Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Crawford Luke, the northerly winds are directly responsible for carrying the smoke southwards. While breezy conditions are expected today and tomorrow, with wind gusts reaching up to 40 and 50 kilometres per hour, respectively, they will not immediately clear the air.
"It really depends on wind direction," Luke explained. "And so in this case, unfortunately, with the winds coming out of the north, they're actually coming from those fires and bringing the smoke into the southern part of the province."
There is a possibility of some relief in the coming days. Rain is expected to move into the southeast corner of the province tonight and into Friday, with some areas potentially receiving 10 to 20 millimetres.
"I'm sure that'll be welcome news for those that need rain," said Luke. "And then again, hopefully it'll help clear out some of the smoke, at least temporarily."
Looking ahead to the weekend, the forecast offers a mixed but optimistic outlook. While the smoke may return on Saturday morning as the rain clears, a shift in wind direction to a more westerly flow is anticipated for Saturday afternoon and Sunday. This change is expected to blow the smoke away from the Weyburn area, leading to improved air quality for the latter half of the weekend.
After the weekend, though, the wind could shift back to coming from the north, which will bring cooler temperatures and possibly more smoke. You can stay up to date with the latest forecast by visiting the Discover Weyburn Weather page. You can also find the latest air quality data for Weyburn on the City of Weyburn Air Quality page.