Air quality warnings
Issued warnings
There are currently no air quality warnings in effect.
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Latest updates
For the latest updates:
- Subscribe to the Air Quality Subscription Service
- Outside regular business hours, visit Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Public Weather Alerts for B.C.
- For Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley Regional District, see Metro Vancouver’s Air Quality Data and Warnings and AirMap.ca. For subscription to air quality advisories and bulletins, use Metro Vancouver’s Air Quality and Climate Change Mailing List
About air quality warnings
An air quality warning is issued when pollutant concentrations approach or exceed predetermined limits, or when degraded-air-quality episodes are expected to continue or worsen.
Warnings are issued in order to:
- inform about degraded air quality
- help people make informed choices about reducing their exposure to elevated concentrations of air pollutants
- affect emission reduction actions (such as a limit on industrial emissions or wood stove use)
- provide vulnerable individuals and the general public with health advice developed by BC health agencies
About wildfire smoke air quality warnings
The wildfire smoke warning is a special type of public advisory to communicate the rapidly changing nature of wildfire smoke. It is issued when areas of the province are being impacted or have reasonable potential to be impacted by wildfire smoke within 24 to 48 hours. These warnings are based on available pollutant concentrations information, satellite information, smoke forecast models and visual observations, and are not intended to manage local emission sources.