Air quality alerts issued in Nova Scotia as wildfires burn
Environment Canada has issued air quality alerts for Shelburne County and western Halifax County due to the presence of wildfire smokes.
The statements say that smoke has reduced visibility and air quality in areas downwind of the fires. The smoke is currently being transported eastward in a west wind. The smoke will move southeastward later Sunday evening as the wind direction becomes northwest.
Smoke plumes from three wildfires in the Maritimes visible on satellite imagery. One in southwestern N.B., one in southwestern N.S., and one in Halifax County, N.S. Those source area marked with a red X.
The statements recommend to "stop or reduce your activity level if breathing becomes uncomfortable or you or someone in your care feel unwell. Contact your health care provider or local health authority if you develop severe symptoms or need advice".
Current air quality observation sites near Halifax have the index rated as 4 or moderate risk.
Much of Nova Scotia is under a no-burn order with the wildfire danger assessed as high-to-extreme by Natural Resources Canada. New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island also have elevated fire danger ratings.
The fire danger risk is rated high-to-extreme for large areas of the Maritimes.
There is little good news in the weather forecast for helping combat the wildfires. A weak cold front is dropping north to south across the region tonight. The front will cool temperatures and turn winds to a more north/northwest direction. There is no significant rain associated with the front.
Despite cooler temperatures on Monday, the air will remain quite dry with low, relative humidity. A north wind with gusts of 30 to 50 km/h will continue through Monday morning into early afternoon. The wind is forecast to diminish late afternoon into evening.
High pressure will be in place for much of the upcoming week. It may be as late in the week as Friday before we have a chance of more widespread rain or showers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.