Air quality worsens as smoke drifts back into Grande Prairie

Smoke from British Columbia’s wildfires is once again drifting into the Grande Prairie area.

Starting Sunday, most of the province got a three-day break from the haze but Environment Canada has now issued an air quality advisory for most areas of Alberta.

The agency says thick smoke is expected by this afternoon, reducing visibility and causing poor air quality. The Air Quality Health Index is expected to reach a very high risk, at over ten on the scale, Wednesday afternoon in the Grande Prairie area.

Although Environment Canada says the smoke will hang around until late this week, it is expected to thin out a bit over the next 24-hours. Overnight Wednesday it says the AQHI should be around ten and drop further to 7 by Thursday.