How do Saskatchewan's smoke hours this summer compare to last summer?

As wildfires continue to burn in the north, several parts of the province were placed under an air quality advisory on Friday.

After last year’s busy wildfire season, a new type of advisory was introduced by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) this year.

A special air quality statement is issued when any type of pollutant causes the air quality health index to go above seven or higher, while an air quality advisory is specifically made for wildfire smoke that drives air quality to a level of 10 or higher.

"So that's sort of that extra layer for people, especially if you're really sensitive to smoke, you have breathing problems, you're young, you're older, pre-existing health conditions, it can really help you make decisions on how you're going to go about your activities," explained Terri Lang, a meteorologist with ECCC.

Smoky summers in Saskatchewan seem to be the new normal, and according to ECCC, Saskatoon has experienced 188 hours under smoke advisories, and Regina had 162 hours under smoke advisories this year.

Last year, those numbers were much higher.

"So far for Regina, it's about the fifth highest on record, and for Saskatoon it would be the second highest on record," Lang said.

"Last summer was more smoky and you could smell it more. I could almost taste it," she said.

According to Lang, where smoke will roll can be difficult to predict, meaning alerts are a critical tool to keep people informed about the possible risks.

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"It has to do with how much smoke is being belched out, what's going on in the upper atmosphere, what's going down at the surface, so really, really tricky," she explained.

Some people in Regina have noticed the smoke more as well.

“I’ve been away from Regina a lot over the summer, so I’ve missed a lot of the smoke but when I have been here, I’ve noticed there’s a fair amount of smoke in the air,” said a man who was walking at Wascana Park on Friday.

"We went up to Missinippi fishing, and it was very intense there. I really feel for the people up there, we think it's bad here in Regina and it was at least times five up there," Gina Zepick said.

While June saw rain and a reprieve from the wildfire smoke, Saskatchewan isn’t out of the woods yet. Wildfire season and the smoke it brings can last well into September.

-With files from Cole Davenport