Wildfire smoke expected to worsen Friday evening and persist through weekend

Despite brief improvements expected Friday afternoon, heavy wildfire smoke is forecast to return to Toronto Friday evening and persist into the weekend, Environment Canada warned.

As of Friday morning, the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) remained at 10+, indicating very high health risk. Smoke from wildfires burning in northwestern Canada continues to drift across Ontario, reducing visibility and creating hazardous conditions.

Environment Canada says air quality may improve temporarily Friday afternoon, but that relief will be short-lived. Poor air quality is expected to return "all regions this evening and may persist into the weekend." Saturday's air quality is forecast to remain in the high-risk category with an AQHI of around 10, potentially improving to 6 (moderate risk) by Saturday night.

The smoky conditions have already begun affecting outdoor plans. The City of Toronto suspended lifeguard supervision at supervised beaches Friday due to poor air quality. Environment Canada is advising residents to limit time outdoors and reschedule or cancel outdoor sports, activities and events whenever possible. For those who must spend time outside, the agency recommends wearing a well-constructed, well-fitting respirator such as a NIOSH-certified N95 mask. Seniors, pregnant people, young children, people who work outdoors and those with existing health conditions are more likely to be impacted and should avoid going outdoors.