It went out with a wheeze, not a whimper.. Wildfire smoke mapSmoke map as of 6:00 AM MDT. .That’s because Calgary has set an all-time record for the smokiest skies in a year due to forest fires in British Columbia and the Northwest Territories..According to Environment Canada, Calgary recorded 453 smoke-filled hours as of Sunday afternoon, compared to 450 hours in 2018 and 439 hours in 2021. That ignominious tally will surely creep higher after smoke advisories were in place for all of holiday Monday and well into this week..Advisories are issued when visibility is less than 10 kilometres. Wildfire smoke fluctuations can change over short distances and vary hourly, depending on factors such as wind speed..As of Tuesday morning, local air quality was ranked a 7 on a 10-point scale which is considered high risk for people with chronic heart conditions, allergies or asthma. The index is expected to hit a high of ‘9’ by Tuesday night before easing down to a ‘4’ on Wednesday morning..Environment Canada is recommending children and the elderly reschedule strenuous outdoor activities..“Even healthy people can have difficulty breathing on days when the index is high,” it said. “Consider reducing or rescheduling strenuous activities outdoors if you experience symptoms such as coughing and throat irritation.”.This summer has been Alberta’s worst fire season on record, with more than 1.2 million hectares or nearly three million acres torched.
