In what has seemed to be a very common occurrence this summer, Environment and Climate Change Canada issued an air quality advisory statement for Weyburn and the surrounding area early Thursday morning. It came as a dense plume of smoke is expected to move into the area late in the day and into the evening.

"It's mostly from northern BC, northern Alberta, and the Northwest Territories," explained Terri Lang, a meteorologist with ECCC. "It's coming down through Alberta and then kinda taking a left-hand turn and streaming across southern Saskatchewan, and that pattern is expected to kind of be in place for a couple of days, so we will see that smoke start to thicken."

While we have been seeing a haze most days in Weyburn, particularly in the evening hours as the sun sets, it will be a bit more than we have seen lately as the weather patterns change. It is expected to be a lot thicker, which could cause other issues.

"That's what the models are indicating because most of it has kind of been staying aloft, in the higher levels of the atmosphere, but just the way the weather pattern is, it looks like it will mix down and get closer to the surface which does affect the air quality," Lang added.

The special air quality statement from Environment Canada detailed the conditions are expected to persist into Friday. They advised those with lung disease, heart disease, older adults, children, pregnant women, and those who work outdoors are at a higher risk of experiencing health effects due to the smoke from the wildfires.

For most people, mild irritation and discomfort due to the smoke and poor air quality are common effects; however, it does affect different people differently. One way to help the body cope with the smoke is to drink plenty of water, ECCC also advised.

Those who do have to spend a lot of time outdoors are encouraged to use a respirator-type mask such as a NIOSH-certified N95 mask. These can protect against the particles in the smoke but don't reduce exposure to the gases in the smoke that originates from the wildfire.