Saskatchewan smoke expected to stay for days, says Environment Canada

Most of Saskatchewan can expect smoky skies, the result of forest fires in the province and other parts of the country, to continue for the next few days.

Upper winds are blowing smoky air towards Saskatchewan. The fires are burning in northern Saskatchewan, northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories.

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Meanwhile, a ridge of high pressure is trapping the smoke over the province.

"The air doesn't tend to go up through the atmosphere," Environment Canada meteorologist Terri Lang said. "It's actually being forced down. It's getting trapped under what we call an inversion, which is kind of like a cap on the atmosphere."

While Lang expects southwestern areas of the province to start clearing on Canada Day, most of the rest of Saskatchewan should expect the smoke to continue until Thursday.

Showers are expected Tuesday. However, Lang doesn't expect that will change the situation much.

"I think that's a bit of a misconception," said Lang. "It does help clear a little bit out, but we don't have widespread rain for days to come."

All of Saskatchewan is under a special air quality statement.

Parts of Manitoba are also under a special air quality statement. That means small children, the elderly and people with lung conditions need to be extra careful, especially when outside.