Colleen Bready's forecast: How the smoke is impacting Manitoba

Smoke has returned to southern Manitoba including Winnipeg on Wednesday.

Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued a special air quality statement for the city and most of the south.

A cold front that passed over the region is the culprit. The smoke spreading in its wake is from wildfires in northern Saskatchewan.

It’s not certain how much smoke will make its way into the Red River Valley.

However, ECCC says air quality closer to the Manitoba/Saskatchewan border was very poor this morning, registering a 10+ on the weather agency’s air quality health index (AQHI).

Winnipeg’s rating on the AQHI, by contrast, is 4 early Wednesday afternoon. Still, that puts the city at moderate risk of poor air quality.

ECCC has also issued an outright air quality alert for west-central Manitoba, which is closer to the source of the wildfire smoke.

The front could also trigger non-severe thunderstorms this afternoon, primarily in the southeastern corner of the province.

Further east, showers and thunderstorms are moving across northwestern Ontario. ECCC has issued a severe thunderstorm watch from some regions. Up to toonie-sized hail is possible.

Temperatures this afternoon are noticeably cooler today than Tuesday’s heat, especially in the north where highs will only reach the mid-teens.

Showers are most likely around The Pas, OCN and Norway House while Gillam and Churchill will see sunshine or a mix of sun and cloud.

Daytime highs in the south will climb to the mid-20s. That’s still well above the normal high of 21 C for this time of year for Winnipeg.

Most southern areas will see sunshine or a mix of sun and clouds today.