After days of constant heavy wildfire smoke lingering in the air, Greater Victoria finally has its clear blue skies back again – for the time being.
Currently, the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) for Victoria, Saanich, Westshore, Nanaimo, Parksville, and Comox Valley are within a range of Low (1) to Moderate (4) risk rating.
Earlier this week, these areas all had a Very High (10+) risk rating. Here’s what these numbers mean:
But we’re not out of the woods yet
However, Environment Canada still has smoky skies bulletins in place for most of Vancouver Island.
“A westerly wind is resulting in an onshore flow of fresh Pacific air along the Coast,” reads their advisory. “Many coastal communities have seen a significant improvement in their air quality.”
But because smoke conditions and wind directions change on an hourly basis, and the organization predicts that the island and parts of the mainland should expect “high concentrations of fine particulate matter and poor air quality” to prevail for the foreseeable future.
According to the latest reports, there are currently 464 wildfires still blazing across the province.
 for Victoria, Saanich, Westshore, Nanaimo, Parksville, and Comox Valley are within a range of Low (1) to Moderate (4) risk rating. ){kind=link}