Special air quality statement still in place for areas of Saskatchewan

A special air quality statement was issued Thursday morning for much of southern Saskatchewan, including Regina.

The Environment Canada statement said smoke from wildfires north of Hudson Bay continues to affect areas across the south and as far west as the Alberta border.

The smoke is expected to dissipate as the day progresses, Environment Canada meteorologist Chris Stammers said.

“We will see improvement from west to east. We’re already starting to see some of that,” he said. “For most of the province, we are going to be seeing improvement through the day on Thursday.”

Stammers says by Thursday evening, a lot of advisories could be taken down with the exception being areas near the Manitoba border and downwind of the fires.

“The cooler temperatures will certainly help and once we kind of get those overnight lows down into the single digits, that helps with the fires as well,” Stammers said. “Fingers crossed that through the weekend, fires may start to settle down.”

A statement provided by the weather office reminded people with breathing difficulties to stay inside as the smoke could cause increased coughing, throat irritation, headaches or shortness of breath.

More information is available on the Environment Canada alerts page.