The air in Burnaby has improved a little overnight - but you don't want to breathe too deeply just yet.
As of 8:15 a.m., five of the city's six air quality monitoring stations were reporting an air quality health index reading of 7, down from yesterday's 8. Burnaby Mountain, which read 7 yesterday morning, sits at a 5 right now.
The Level 7 still ranks as "high risk," meaning that people are urged to take caution, especially when doing physical activity. Children, the elderly and those with chronic medical conditions such as heart and lung problems are urged to take it easy.
Anyone in the general population who's suffering symptoms from the air - such as throat irritation and coughing - should also reduce their activity level. For greatest relief from the air quality, seek indoor, air-conditioned areas.
The entire region has been blanketed in haze thanks to the smoke from wildfires raging around the Pacific Northwest. At issue for local areas is the high level of fine particulate matter.
Environment Canada is continuing a special weather advisory for today due to air quality and forecasts widespread smoke to continue throughout the day. But the forecast also calls for a clearing trend as the week moves on, with Metro Vancouver weather called to be hazy tomorrow and clear by Friday.
