Igloolik, Nunavut woke to smoky skies on Monday as an air quality warning remains in place, bringing moderate health risks for residents. The smoky conditions are expected to improve by Tuesday morning.
Environment Canada says the smoke is drifting slowly through the Melville Peninsula and has cut visibility to five kilometres at the Igloolik Airport. As of 2 p.m. Monday, the temperature was 10.7 degrees C with north-northwest winds at 12 km/h.
The week ahead stays mild, with daytime highs reaching 10 to 17 degrees C, above the seasonal normal of 9 degrees C. A mix of sun and cloud is expected, with a chance of showers Monday night and Tuesday morning. Sunnier periods are forecast for the middle of the week before cloudier conditions return by the weekend.
During the smoke event, health officials remind residents to take care, especially people aged 65 and older, pregnant people, infants and young children, and those with existing illnesses or chronic health conditions. People who work outside are also asked to slow down or reschedule heavy outdoor tasks and to get medical help if they feel unwell.
Wildfire smoke is not a common sight in this hamlet of about 2,000 people on an island in Foxe Basin, where nine months of the year average below freezing. But in 2023, smoke from fires in the Northwest Territories reached Igloolik – an event one long-time resident described as something he had never seen in 23 years. The Government of Nunavut notes that changing conditions are leading to more frequent and longer wildfire seasons in Canada, meaning smoke can travel thousands of kilometres to northern communities.
