Smoke is causing or expected to cause poor air quality and reduced visibility. Smoke from wildfires, which affected Winnipeg for a few hours on Wednesday, is expected to return to the entire Red River valley and parts of the Interlake on Thursday. Very poor air quality and reduced visibility can be expected at times. Smoke will continue to affect the Whiteshell and eastern Manitoba tonight through Thursday. The smoke should clear from Winnipeg and the Red River Valley on Friday as winds shift more to the north, but is expected to continue over the Whiteshell and Sprague area. ### During heavy smoke conditions, everyone?s health is at risk regardless of their age or health status. Limit time outdoors. Reschedule or cancel outdoor sports, activities and events. You may experience mild and common symptoms such as eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches or a mild cough. More serious but less common symptoms include wheezing, chest pains or severe cough. If you think you are having a medical emergency, seek immediate medical assistance. People more likely to be impacted by outdoor air pollution, including people aged 65 and older, pregnant people, infants and young children, people with an existing illness or chronic health condition, and people who work outdoors, should reduce or reschedule strenuous activities outdoors and seek medical attention if experiencing symptoms. Visit http://www.airhealth.ca for information on how to reduce your health risk and your personal contribution to pollution levels, as well as for current and forecast AQHI values. Please continue to monitor alerts and forecasts issued by Environment Canada.
