Toronto will get a very brief reprieve from the smoky conditions this afternoon before air quality deteriorates again on Friday evening.
Canada’s largest city remains under an air quality warning, orange alert, for the third consecutive day, an advisory that has prompted city staff to close outdoor pools and modify outdoor recreation programs for the second day in a row.
- Your hourly forecast on our CP24.com weather hub
- What Ontario and the U.S. look like due to the wildfire smoke
- Wildfires in Canada coverage on CTVNews.ca
At one point on Friday morning, Global air quality tracker IQAir ranked the city’s air quality as the fourth worst in the world today. By 10 a.m., conditions had improved from the “very unhealthy” range to “moderate,” and air quality in the city is now listed as “good.”
“Smoke from wildfires in northwestern Ontario continues to result in very poor air quality along with reduced visibility this morning,” Environment Canada said in its weather advisory.
“There may be temporary improvement this afternoon however very poor air quality will return to all regions this evening and may persist into the weekend.”
Experts are continuing to urge people to limit the amount of time they spend outdoors.
“Reschedule or cancel outdoor sports, activities and events,” the advisory read.
“You may experience mild and common symptoms such as eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches or a mild cough. More serious but less common symptoms include wheezing, chest pains or severe cough.”
For those who must be outside, Environment Canada notes that a “well-constructed, well-fitting, and properly worn respirator type mask,” such as an N95 mask, should be warn to reduce exposure to harmful fine particles in the air.
The City of Toronto noted that pool closures and changes to outdoor recreation programs will continue until the orange alert is lifted.
Poor air quality will return
CP24 Meteorologist Bill Coulter said while the sky may looked more normal today, the air quality was still very poor this morning.
“Much like yesterday, looks can be deceiving,” he said.
He said the conditions will briefly improve this morning into this afternoon.
“The winds have gone from north to northeasterly and they’ll shift to southeasterly, which will gradually just push the worst of the air just a little bit to the west, which is why we have seen areas on the east side of this change to yellow, which is a slightly lesser impact,” he said.
“But it won’t last all that long. We’ll get back into a southwesterly wind that will reintroduce poor air quality late in the day and this evening. So you may get a bit of a reprieve midday afternoon and then back into the bad stuff tonight.”
Environment Canada Warning Preparedness Meteorologist Geoff Coulson said air quality levels vary depending on where you reside in the GTA.
“We are seeing readings in the eastern part of the city, downtown Toronto, more on the moderate risk level,” he told CP24’s Courtney Heels on Friday morning.
“It is really more when you get into the west end of Toronto, especially around Brampton, Mississauga, Oakville, Burlington, those areas are still in the high to very high air quality health index readings.”
He noted that a potential wind shift will likely bring poor air quality back to downtown Toronto this evening.
He called this week’s smoky weather a “significant air quality event” for not just Toronto but much of the province.
City of Toronto to “adjust city services” according to medical advice
At a press conference at City Hall on Friday afternoon, Mayor Olivia Chow and Toronto Medical Officer of Health Dr. Michelle Murty said the city will adjust services based on current air quality conditions.
“The city continues to monitor the wildfire smoke and the orange air quality warning issued by Environment and Climate Change Canada,” Chow said. “We will keep adjusting city services as needed, in consultation with the medical officer of health, to protect public health and safety.”
Chow said outdoor pools and wading pools are closed while the air quality warning remains in effect, and lifeguards will not be staffed at City of Toronto supervised beaches.
Murty said the city’s air quality warning remains at the orange level, even though the current Air Quality Health Index has improved.
She said the decision to keep the orange alert in place is because “air quality is highly dynamic and conditions can change quickly as wildfire smoke shifts with changes in wind patterns.”
“The city has been following the advice in Environment and Climate Change Canada’s orange alert. This has guided our decision-making for city programming,” Murty said.
“I encourage everyone to check the current Air Quality Health Index and pay attention to local conditions, including the forecast.”
Murty said residents should stay informed about current conditions and be prepared for changing air quality when deciding whether it is safe to spend time outdoors.
“Today we’ve had periods of better air quality. When the air quality is better, I encourage people to spend time outdoors, and then be prepared to move back indoors if the air quality shifts again.”
