Photo: Castanet webcam

Castanet webcam footage captured September 13, 2020 in Kelowna, when smoke from the US wildfires covered the city.

It looks like we're in for a few days of hazy skies this week, with smoke coming from the wildfires burning in California.

Vancouver is expected to see smoke by Wednesday, and if it heads over the mountains, it could arrive in the Thompson-Okanagan areas as early as Thursday.

Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Lundquist expects there will be "a day or two" of smoky skies sometime between Thursday and Sunday, when the flow will head northwest again and bring in cleaner air. 

"There's a lot of smoke being produced in Washington and Oregon right now, so there is a lot coming from California - that's where the problem is," he says.

"But it's farther from us, and the way it's coming is it's heading out over the ocean up towards Oregon."

However, Lundquist is confident it won't be nearly as thick as the last round of smoke that blanketed the Okanagan in early September. 

"We may see an Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) of moderate category, maybe into the high in some places but it won't last long, and it's nowhere near what the last one was, which had an AQHI of 10+ and for days on end."

He encourages residents of the Thompson and Okanagan to get outside on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

"I'm really recommending people get out in the next day or two when the air is clean and warm here to enjoy the sun, just in case we get some smoke."

To check the Air Quality Health Index for your area, visit the Environment Canada website.