Wildfire Smoke & Air Quality
Today's air in plain words — and in summer, the wildfire smoke that is the real story here.
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Today's air in plain words — and in summer, the wildfire smoke that is the real story here.
Today's air, in plain words. In summer the story here is wildfire smoke, which can roll in quickly and linger for days.
Fair Fine for being outside, including exercise, for almost everyone.
| Day | Air quality |
|---|---|
| Fri 19 Jun | Good |
| Sat 20 Jun | Good |
| Sun 21 Jun | Fair |
| Mon 22 Jun | Good |
From spring through September, wildfire smoke is the main thing that changes the air here. It can arrive within hours and stay for days, turning a clear day hazy and pushing the air-quality reading up. When that happens, Environment Canada's Air Quality Health Index for Yellowknife is the number to watch.
In August 2023 the whole community — Yellowknife along with Ndilǫ, Dettah and the Ingraham Trail — was ordered to evacuate as a wildfire approached, and people were away for about three weeks. That summer also brought hundreds of hours of smoke. It's why many residents keep a close eye on both the smoke and the fire situation.
This tool tracks the air. For where the fires are and their status, the Government of the Northwest Territories wildfire update (gov.nt.ca/ecc) is the official source. During an active situation, follow official alerts for any evacuation guidance.
Updated . These are modelled estimates for the area around Yellowknife, not readings from a street monitor — air right beside a busy road can be worse than the area-wide picture. Official forecast: weather.gc.ca. Air quality data by Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), based on Copernicus CAMS.