Photo: Castanet News

A slight haze could be seen above the Okanagan Valley Wednesday.

The slight haze above the Okanagan Valley Wednesday is smoke that's come all the way from California.

After thick smoke from Washington and Oregon blanketed much of British Columbia earlier this month, the smoke is returning in much lower levels over the next couple of days, this time all the way from California.

“It has to come from a lot farther and it's way more diffuse by the time it gets here and it's mostly aloft for now,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Doug Lundquist. He said the smoke appears to be sitting around the top of the nearby mountains.

The smoke could get a little bit worse over the next couple of days as it settles a bit lower in the Valley. But Lundquist says it'll be “nowhere near as bad as last time.”

And by Sunday, Lundquist expects wind patterns to change, blowing the smoke away from B.C.

Wednesday, the Air Quality Health Index reached a two on the 10-point scale across the Okanagan, which remains a low risk to the public. Lundquist doesn't expect the air quality index to reach any higher than a moderate over the next few days.