Like a scene out of the TV show "Lost" the Smoke Monster has returned to Airdrie making stinging of the eyes and shortness of breath a reality for many people.  

After a brief reprieve from the smoky conditions, which have set a new record in Airdrie and southern Alberta this year, the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) rose to a seven yesterday (August 22) and is scheduled to reach 10 + today.  That puts the AQHI in Airdrie back into the very high-risk range.  Environment Canada Meteorologist Dan Kulak explained why the smoke is back.

"Everything here in the air quality and the smoke from B.C. is so dependant on the wind direction.  You get some clear air moving in, cooler air comes in it tends to be more clear, you get a little bit of a northerly wind and then we're moving back into the heat which tends to be a bit of a more of a southwesterly wind and that tends to bring that smoke back out of B.C., back into Alberta, and bring down the air quality as the temperatures go up."

There are showers in the forecast over the next three days which a lot of people think is good news because it will clean the air.  Kulak says, think again.

"Rain, when it does happen, can do one of two things.  It can make it worse or it can make it better in terms of the air quality.  If you get light showers and not the persistent, long-term drenching type of rain, it tends to bring more smoke down from high up in the atmosphere and can actually make the air quality worse with more particulate matter near the ground for people to breathe in.  If you get a good, long-term soaking rain that does tend to clean the air, cleanse the atmosphere more and give you a better air quality."

Kulak says the record-setting year of smoke has the chance to set even more records for some time to come.

"This blob of smoke from the northwest from central B.C. moves into Alberta it's going to be lingering and getting worse and probably sticking around for maybe a day or two before there's any real improvement.  Unless we get a really strong, drenching rain across B.C. the fire season is just going to keep going and whatever other thunderstorms that might come along are starting new fires.  We really need that substantial change in the weather pattern to help with the fire suppression activities in B.C.  As long as the fires are burning and the winds are coming from the west, you're going to have smoke problems in southern Alberta.  That fire season doesn't start winding down 'til sometime in September, maybe even October."

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