Dan Smith looked into his crystal ball Wednesday and didn’t like what he was seeing.

“A whole bunch of stuff, including atmospheric stuff from the Canadian government, says that smoke will be coming down from Alberta over the next day or so,” said Smith, regional airshed coordinator for the Department of Environmental Quality.

The “stuff” he’s referring to is data from the Canadian government on air quality. The air monitors throughout western Canada have indicated smoke from fires traveled over Calgary and will continue at high elevations through the atmosphere before likely settling into the Panhandle. Fires across western Canada have burned more than 1,800 square miles.

Boundary, Shoshone and Bonner counties will likely be affected by the smoke, but Kootenai County could also be at risk of an Air Quality Advisory, depending on atmospheric conditions.

“Right now we’re seeing elevated levels pretty much everywhere,” Smith said.

An Air Quality Advisory could impose temporary burning restrictions or just identify risks of being outside, particularly for those who suffer from asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Steps to protect the air quality inside a home can combat the effects of reduced air quality outside the home. Smith recommends changing furnace filters once a month, to maintain indoor air quality during an advisory.

He predicts advisories could be possible today, Friday and Saturday morning and recommends people go to airquality.deq.idaho.gov/home/map throughout the day for real-time information, especially early in the morning.

“Mornings will be hazy over the next few days,” Smith said.

As the temperatures rise throughout the day and pressures change, smoke will likely rise or settle to clear the air, but Air Quality Advisories may still be necessary through Saturday, to include mountains and valleys.

“Right now we’re at a place where I’m predicting moderate air quality, which is acceptable, but for some folks they should be concerned,” Smith said.