Kelowna News

Plummeting air quality in the Okanagan, Shuswap and elsewhere has prompted the Ministry of Environment to issue an advisory.

Air quality throughout the region has plummeted into the poor to very poor ranges as heavy smoke from Kamloops-area forest fires fills the valleys.

A small forest fire that broke out in the Ellison area of Central Okanagan East regional electoral area also contributed to Monday's murk.

The marked deterioration in air quality began Sunday and it was continuing to fall Monday from the Notch Hill, Chase Creek, Pritchard, Community Lake Plateau and numerous other fires in the Thompson region.

The weather at Kelowna International Airport Monday at 1 p.m. was reported as hazy and the visibility was only five kilometres.

Air quality monitoring stations at Kelowna, Vernon, Kamloops and Keremeos were all reporting heavy smoke, according to a release issued by the MOE.

"The lowest levels are at Keremeos, but levels there are rising. The highest and most variable levels will be experienced in the areas closest to the fires."