By Geoff Smith

Smoke leads to advisories for some, but not others

May 5, 2016 | 12:39 PM

Smoke from the massive wildfires around Fort McMurray has reached parts of Saskatchewan.

Environment Canada issued a special air quality statement today, May 5 for areas including Meadow Lake. Later in the morning it was extended east and south to the Prince Albert/Spiritwood region. At this time, the smoke is expected to pose the highest health risk closer to the Alberta boundary.

John Paul Cragg, a warning preparedness meteorologist for Environment Canada, said the areas of Saskatchewan expected to be affected the most includes Buffalo Narrows, Ile-a-la-Crosse, and south to Meadow Lake. Some smoke was observed in the Battlefords, but not as severe.

But issuing such advisories involves some guesswork. Cragg explained the official criteria to issue an advisory involves a particulate matter in the air which measures 2.5 microns in diameter.

“We do have air quality monitors up around the province, and the province itself has its own air quality monitors as well,” Cragg said. “But some areas don’t have air quality monitors. So what we have to do for criteria is, we’re looking at visibility, observations, reports, plus we’re putting together our forecast models and satellite data and trying to see where these plumes are going.”

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Beyond an air quality statement, Craig said the ball is in provincial officials’ court, on whether the smoke is bad enough to impact people’s health, to the point of issuing guidelines or even evacuating an area.

Environment Canada’s own forecasting can help predict how long smoky conditions persist.

“Sometimes these forecasts are difficult, because maybe the smoke’s not making it all the way down to the ground,” Cragg said. “Maybe it’s just riding a little bit above the ground, and in the atmosphere, on winds, but just not making it down to the ground where it’s really affecting people.”

Based on the forecast, Cragg expected smoke to persist in the region until the weekend, when a shift in the wind should clear it out. It was not expected to become severe in the Battlefords area during that period.

gsmith@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @smithco