REGINA — The smoky conditions that caused a delay to the start of the Canadian Football League exhibition game in Regina last week won’t be of concern for the Saskatchewan Roughriders home opener tonight, but Mother Nature still might have a curveball to throw.
As of 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Environment Canada has given Regina a 30 percent chance of showers and a risk of a thunderstorm at the 7 p.m. kickoff time against the Ottawa Redblacks, with the temperature at 20 C and winds coming from the south at 15 km/h.
According to the CFL weather protocol, ‘an independent meteorologist service automatically alerts league office officials when lightning strikes within 10 km of the playing surface. The onsite league representative will then enact the league’s lightning procedure, which includes automatically stopping the game, sending teams to their dressing rooms and advising spectators to shelter in place. The game may also be proactively halted if the independent meteorologist service foresees a weather system with lightning activity moving towards the stadium'.
As for smoke conditions, Regina was at four on the Air Quality Health Index, or moderate risk, with things expected to improve to low risk in the evening.
The PM2.5 number — particulate matter 2.5 micrometers in diameter or smaller — sat at 40 and 43 according to the on-site monitors at Mosaic Stadium. That comes with a recommendation that there’s ‘no need to modify usual outdoor activities unless you experience coughing and/or throat irritation’.
Catch Thursday’s pre-game show with Teagan Witko, Justin Dunk and Wes Cates at 4 p.m. while Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder have the game call at 7 p.m. You can hear everything on the 620 CKRM Co-operators Rider Broadcast Network.