Poor air quality in the forecast for Ottawa this Friday

Poor air quality and reduced visibility caused by smoke from forest fires in Western Canada are in the forecast for the capital this Friday, according to Environment Canada.

Environment Canada's Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) for Ottawa reads "4-moderate risk" Friday. After 6:30 p.m., level "3-low risk" is forecasted. The air quality is expected to get better throughout the weekend.

"We do see smoke, but it's staying aloft, so it's not reaching ground level. So, that's the consolation," Gerald Cheng, meteorologist at Environment Canada, told CTV News Ottawa Friday.

"Right now, you know, there's only a trace of it. It's not making the AQHI really, really high, unlike last year."

People experiencing discomfort should limit outdoor activities, warns Environment Canada.

"People who have a hard time breathing and have heart problems, this will become a difficult period," Cheng said.

Rain is also expected to come back to the capital, as “a moisture-laden system approaches,” bringing heavy rain starting tonight -- 20 to 30 millimetres Saturday, says the weather agency.

Cheng adds that the rain will help clean the air this weekend.

"There are showers coming into the Ottawa Valley. So, this weekend is basically unsettled. And, with the rain, it will help clean the air," Cheng added.

Air quality advisories and an interactive smoke map show Canadians in nearly every part of the country are being impacted by wildfires.

Environment Canada's Air Quality Health Index ranked several as being at "very high risk" Friday morning. Those cities are Calgary, Edmonton, Regina and Saskatoon.

But beyond that, according to CTV's Your Morning meteorologist Kelsey McEwen, smoke is also impacting residents of British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. 

Weather forecast

A high of 30 C and sunny skies are in the forecast for Friday – fog patches dissipating this morning, says Environment Canada.

A low of 19 C, clear skies, increasing cloudiness late this evening, then 40 per cent chance of showers with a risk of a thunderstorm are forecasted for tonight.

It's going to be rainy on the weekend. A high of 22 C, showers ending in the afternoon with a 40 per cent chance of showers, and a risk of a thunderstorm are in the forecast for Saturday. A low of 18 C and showers are forecasted for the night.

Showers, a high of 23 C, and a low of 18 C are forecasted for Sunday.

The average temperatures for this time of year are a high of 25.1 C and a low of 14.3 C.

With files from CTV News's Kendra Mangione and CTV News Ottawa's Dylan Dyson