Photo: Contributed

While local residents have had quite enough of the five straight days of smoke, relief is coming.

Skies already started clearing Thursday afternoon, and Environment Canada says the end is near.

The current forecast predicts one more smoky day in the Okanagan before a new weather system moves in and the smoke is replaced with clouds.

“The end is near,” said meteorologist Lisa Coldwells. 

“The ridge of high pressure is still over the region, it is still very stagnant. The wind itself is very light,” said Coldwells. “But tomorrow we do see a change.”

Coldwells says that is when the ridge begins to move off.

“There could still be some local smoke Friday morning, but then, as the day progresses, we are looking at the atmosphere becoming more unstable, which will break the inversion, and then smoke can disperse upwards.

“Then we are looking at a cool and showery weekend."

Temperatures this weekend will hover around 18 C and showers are forecast off and on, with as much as five millimetres of rain predicted Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

“This trough, as it moves in and replaces the ridge, is just going to sit over the region and be the main weather pattern for the next coming week.”

With the end of August right around the corner, the last week of summer for many kids heading back to school won't have much sunshine or warm temperatures.

“As I look out to Sept. 1, I still have a trough of low pressure over the region,” said Coldwells. “But, that doesn't mean the ridge won't ever return. It is what we are expecting for the next five to seven days.”

It will be the first time this season the area has experienced any extended trough sitting over the region.

“It has always been ridge, ridge, ridge, ridge, oh look another ridge, temperatures are near 30 C,” says Coldwells. “This is a huge weather change.”

The bulk of precipitation will fall this weekend, followed by scattered showers and cooler temperatures.

But will summer make a comeback?

“You can still have temperatures well into the twenties, nice summery days,” said Coldwells.

A smoky skies advisory remained in effect Thursday for the Okanagan Valley, North and South Thompson, Similkameen, Fraser Canyon, Nicola, Shuswap and Boundary and Kootenay areas.