The smoke spell over Saskatoon seemed to have cleared out Friday evening, but experts predict there will soon be more on the way.

Environment Canada Meteorologist Jason Knight says the band of smoke was carried south Friday, but it didn’t travel very far. He expects the smoke to circle back and remain for the majority of the day. He adds that the air quality west of the city at Biggar is rapidly deteriorating, and North Battleford’s visibility is only at a couple of kilometres. The scale meteorologists use to rate smoke presence has a high end of 10 plus, and Knight says the levels we will see today are expected to be around 11.

He does have some good news, too. He expects much improvement within the next few days, as well as some cooler weather such as cloud, showers, and low temperatures. On the other hand, north winds late Tuesday and Wednesday could bring a return of the poor air quality.

There are currently 28 wildfires in the province, down two from Friday, with only one of them being not contained. Five are contained, fourteen are under ongoing assessment, and eight are where the focus is to protect property.