Air quality warning lifted in Toronto following days of hazy conditions
· Toronto Sun
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After most parts of southern Ontario ended last week with the worst air quality in the world, Toronto residents woke up to clearer air Sunday after Environment Canada lifted its air quality warning across the GTA.
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Following four days of orange to yellow alerts sparked by over 150 active wildfires burning across northern Ontario, the weather agency upgraded Toronto’s air quality to “low risk” or three on its Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) beginning at 9 a.m. Sunday morning.
However, as of Sunday afternoon, its hourly forecast said the air quality will drop slightly by Monday afternoon, anticipating “moderate risk” or four on the AQHI beginning at 1 p.m.
Air quality was at its worst last Wednesday
Environment Canada’s colour-coded scale, which goes from zero to 10+, peaked last Wednesday as a strong jet stream pushed wildfire smoke to southern Ontario, while a “heat dome” caused the toxic air to linger across the region.
At one point last Wednesday, the weather agency measured the hazy air in the GTA as 10+ or “very high risk” on the scale, remaining elevated into Thursday, and gradually improving on Friday and Saturday.
Swiss-based air quality monitoring platform IQAir ranked the city’s air as among the worst in the world as a heatwave blanketed the city.
Wildfires continue to rage up north
As of Sunday afternoon, Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources said 139 active fires were burning in the province’s northwest region.
“Fires across the region have exhibited minimal fire behaviour and growth over the last few days, however the fire hazard is rebounding,” Ontario Forest Fires said in a Facebook post .
“Recent precipitation was accompanied by lightning, and forest fuels remain very dry, making them susceptible to holdover ignitions caused by lightning,” it said, adding, “We are continuing to monitor the landscape for new fires following recent storm activity.”
Last week, evacuation orders were issued for several communities, including Armstrong, Lac La Croix First Nation, Collins First Nation, Whitesand First Nation, Gull Bay First Nation and Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation.