Visibility and air quality in the region have decreased due to a weather system bringing in fog and trapping pollutants in the air.
Early this week fog descended into the region, bringing with it near-zero visibility for residents of St. Albert.
A ridge of high pressure has rolled across the prairies said meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada Janelle Gergely, causing a lot of low-level moisture in the province to be trapped at the surface.
“Fog is really just cloud at the surface,” Gergely said.
Right now there is barely a breath of wind in the region and the still weather is allowing for the fog to linger longer than usual.
“All that fog is just sticking around. There's really no way to push it out right now,” Gergely said.
Typically fog will roll in during the day, but a breeze will pick up in the evening and release some of the moisture, lifting the fog temporarily. But this week the still conditions are causing days-long fog advisories.
On Tuesday dozens of flights at the Edmonton International Airport were delayed or cancelled due to poor visibility.
By Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. Environment Canada issued a fog advisory for Edmonton and surrounding areas with conditions expected to continue into the weekend. The fog is significantly reducing visibility and can suddenly be reduced to near zero visibility, Environment Canada said in a statement.
Gergely said drivers need to be careful on the road and consider the low visibility.
Air Quality
And the same still weather and ridge of high pressure causing the fog is also trapping pollution at the surface, causing a decrease in the air quality of the region.
“We have an inversion right now and what that is a layer of warm air totally helping trap everything that's below it,” Gergely said, adding it has been around for several days.
As residents heat their homes, drive their vehicles and use energy, the pollutants from those activities get trapped at the surface level, with no way to escape. Over time, the pollutants build up and cause the air quality in the region to plummet.
While the air quality is likely to fluctuation a little bit during the day, it is the worst in the mornings during rush hour, Gergely said.
Anybody who may have compromised lung health, including children, the elderly and those with lung conditions like COPD and asthma should limit their time outdoors, said Gergely.
On Wednesday afternoon when The Gazette went to press, the air quality in the region was sitting at 8, in the high risk zone.
The poor air quality and fog is expected to persist into the weekend, Gergely said, as there is no breeze or weather system coming to lift the current conditions.
