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FARMVILLE – Over the last few days, when people in Rice or Farmville walked outside, they found a haze lingering in the air. Unfortunately, today’s not the day when it fully goes away. According to the National Weather Service station out of Wakefield, while the smoke will be scattering today, we’ve got at least one more day before it’s fully gone. 

“Under northwesterly winds, smoke will continue to be pushed south over our area,” National Weather Service officials said early Friday morning in a statement.  

Now the good part is that Buckingham, Cumberland and Prince Edward counties dodged a bullet in a way. While the area east of the Blue Ridge Parkway is still going into the day labeled as code orange, or unhealthy for sensitive groups, this region is expected to stay in the moderate rating.

Moderate means pollution in the air is within an acceptable range. It won’t do serious damage to most people. There are a few, some already suffering from respiratory problems or other illnesses, that could have problems. Basically if you’re sick, today is a good day to stay inside. 

You can thank the recurring storms that have been popping up over the last few days for helping with the air quality. And more are on the way, according to forecasters. While this morning is supposed to be sunny and hazy, the National Weather Service says storms will roll in this afternoon, helping to clear out more of the bad air. 

As we get deeper into the weekend, forecasters say things will continue to get better. A new front moving in will help drive more of the smoke out. However, don’t get too excited, the Wakefield folks caution. This reprieve could be temporary. 

What’s causing problems in Farmville? 

This is all a result of wildfires burning out of control in Canada. Clouds of smoke from the fires have traveled south, causing problems at different points for multiple states. The biggest question has been ‘are they contained’ and the answer is no. At least, not completely.

As of 2 a.m. Friday morning, there were 437 active fires across Canada. Out of that number, 248 were still out of control, based on data given by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center. Also of concern for the agency is the fact the number of fires keeps growing.

The good news is that the fires in the western part of Canada are now under control. But new ones keep popping up in Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario.