Wildfire smoke continues to drift over southern Vancouver Island

If the sunlight over Greater Victoria looks a little more orange than usual Tuesday morning, you’re not imagining it.

A layer of wildfire smoke is continuing to move over portions of southern and eastern Vancouver Island, filtering the sunshine and giving the sky and landscape a warm, orange glow.

The orange glow is usually strongest around sunrise and sunset, but a thick layer of smoke higher in the atmosphere can tint the daylight for hours.

According to firesmoke.ca, smoke is expected to increase around Greater Victoria, the Saanich Peninsula, Cowichan Valley and Nanaimo throughout Tuesday, August 4th.

The model shows the highest ground-level concentrations reaching Greater Victoria and the Saanich Peninsula during the afternoon. 

The smoke is expected to be thickest around Victoria and Sidney, with lower concentrations forecast for Duncan and Nanaimo.

The smoke is not believed to be coming from one particular fire or a major blaze on Vancouver Island. Instead, it appears to be part of a much larger plume being produced by numerous wildfires burning across Washington State.

The Washington State Department of Ecology says several fires across eastern and central Washington have grown rapidly and are producing large amounts of smoke.

Those fires include the Old Trails, Kaiser Canyon, Sinlahekin, Little Giant, Ptarmigan and Border 2 wildfires, among several others. Shifting winds have carried that smoke west over the Puget Sound region, with the broader plume now forecast to reach the southern tip of Vancouver Island.

Wildfires across BC may also be contributing to the regional haze, making it difficult to trace the smoke seen over Victoria to any one blaze.

The smoke is forecast to ease somewhat overnight before another smoky period develops Wednesday, particularly in Greater Victoria. 

Smoke could thicken again around Victoria and Sidney on Wednesday afternoon before clearing later that evening.

Port Alberni and the Comox Valley may see lighter smoke, while Tofino, Campbell River and northern Vancouver Island are expected to remain largely unaffected.

Despite the orange glow, Victoria’s air quality remained in the low-risk catego ry Tuesday morning. Environment Canada reported an air quality health index of 2 at 9 a.m. and is forecasting a maximum of 3 through Wednesday.

That means much of the smoke may remain higher, where it can colour the sunlight without immediately causing significant ground-level air-quality problems.

As of this publication, there are 119 active wildfires burning across BC, with only one located on Vancouver Island. That fire is currently classified as being held.