Smoky skies cover Metro Vancouver with air quality advisory in effect

A heat wave is enveloping Metro Vancouver this week, but the outdoors may not be the best place for everyone.

An air quality advisory is in effect inMetro Vancouver because of smoke and "fine particulate matter" blown in from forest fires hundreds of kilometres away.

Here's what it looked like on Tuesday morning from Horsehoe Bay

From the sky

Vancouver

Vancouver Fire even threw in a reference to Star Wars, comparingthis morning's sunrise to that on fictional desert planetTatooine.

New Westminster

North Shore

The B.C. Wildfire Service says hot, dry and smoky air from the Interior is heading for the South Coast and expected to rapidly dry out coastal forests, adding to the wildfire risk.

Normally, the prevailing winds travel from the coast to the Interior, but this week the winds are expected to switch into outflow conditions, the wildfire service said in a statement.

An air quality advisory remains for parts of the B.C. southern Interior, including the North Thompson, South Thompson, Shuswap, 100 Mile, Cariboo, and Chilcotin.

• Current wildfire situation
• Current air quality advisories