An air quality advisory, sparked by a weather pattern combined with high concentrations of dust, entered its fourth day Friday.
A high pressure system has brought the warm sunny weather but has also trapped the dust kicked up by traffic and efforts to sweep it off city roads and parking lots.
"The weather is definitely a big driver right now," said Gail Roth, an air quality meteorologist with B.C.'s Ministry of Environment.
The advisory was issued Tuesday morning when the 24-hour concentration of coarse particulate, or PM 10, started to exceed 50 micrograms per cubic metre. Advisories were also issued for Quesnel, Burns Lake, Houston and Fort St. John for the same reason. The one for Quesnel remained in place as of Friday morning..
Roth anticipated Thursday the advisory would remain in place for at least one more day.
"That high-pressure ridge looks to be staying in place for the next 24 hours," she said. "Long term, the forecasting gets a little bit more shaky so it's difficult to say."
As of Thursday, Environment Canada was forecasting warm and sunny weather well into next week.
There is at least one thing residents can do to help keep dust out of the air, according to Roth, namely dampen down their driveways before sweeping them.
With the advisory came some advice for those with medical conditions that the dust can trigger - avoid strenuous exercise and stay indoors.
"If you are experiencing symptoms such as continuing eye or throat irritation, chest discomfort, shortness of breath, cough or wheezing, follow the advice of your health care provider," officials also said in the advisory.
Real-time air quality observations and information regarding the health effects of air pollution can be found at www.bcairquality.ca.
