Image Credit: CFJC Today / Kent Simmonds

By James Peters

Smoke in the Air

Smoke forecast to clear in B.C. Interior with a change in the weather Friday night

Sep 16, 2020 | 11:45 AM

KAMLOOPS — The B.C. Interior can expect a smoky sky through the work week, but Environment Canada says relief is on its way.

Forecaster Doug Lundquist says smoke will be in the air for the next couple of days, but a change in the weather pattern should give us a clean air weekend.

“I see the really big improvement and kind of the bookend to it — I’m keeping my fingers crossed — for Friday night into Saturday,” Lundquist told CFJC Today. “What’s happening is we have a trough moving through or a front, and that’s going to really stir the atmosphere up. It’s not guaranteed that that’s the end of it but it looks like the weekend will have much cleaner air.”

“We’re forecasting showers on Saturday, might even be as early as Friday night,” he continued. “The showers that we’re expecting will help, they will stir up the atmosphere. We can clean out things two ways: either horizontally by wind or vertically by mixing it like a bubbling pot. That’s exactly what we’re hoping to do on Friday night into Saturday.”

The smoke is originating from fires burning south of the border, especially in the coastal states of Oregon and Washington. Thankfully, Lundquist says those areas should see shower activity to help cool things down and give firefighters a boost.

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“They’re going to see the same system that we’re getting. It will bring showers to the mountains of Oregon and Washington, which is really good news,” said Lundquist. “The cooler weather and a little bit of higher humidity and some rain are absolutely going to help. But it isn’t over, of course.”