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It's raining! New Westminster's air is breathable again

Cool and rainy weather has moved in, and an air quality advisory has been lifted
Julie MacLellan
Julie MacLellan
Rain boots puddles
Get your rain boots on, New West: It's time to jump in puddles and enjoy the fresh air again. The air quality advisory has been lifted, and the extreme heat is gone.romrodinka/Getty Images

Open your windows and breathe deeply: New Westminster has fresh air again.

As of 10 a.m. Monday (Aug. 16), New Westminster's monitoring station was showing an air quality index of 1, the lowest – and healthiest – possible reading.

The weather began to change Sunday following days of extreme heat and poor air quality from wildfire smoke. At its worst, New Westminster hit 10+ on the air quality index.

Metro Vancouver lifted its air quality advisory for the region yesterday (Sunday). The advisory had been in place since Aug. 12 because of high levels of fine particulate matter and ground-level ozone, but Metro Vancouver said yesterday that the air quality had improved with a shift in the weather.

The forecast calls for showers today in New Westminster (where rain is currently falling), with rain also coming on several days ahead. Wednesday and Thursday are projected to be partly cloudy.

Temperatures have also dropped, with a high of just 20C predicted for today. The week's forecast calls for a high of just 26C by Thursday.

You can keep an eye on local air quality readings at Metro Vancouver's AirMap site.

Follow Julie MacLellan on Twitter @juliemaclellan.
Email Julie, [email protected].