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You’d be forgiven for thinking you’d woken up in a nuclear wasteland on Wednesday morning in Edmonton, where the sky was an eerie orange hue due to thick wildfire smoke that has drifted in from B.C.

The entire province of Alberta is under an air quality advisory. Alberta Health measures the air quality health index (AQHI) on a scale of one to 10, with the higher the number, the greater the health risk.

READ MORE: More B.C. wildfire smoke prompts Alberta-wide air quality advisory

On Wednesday morning, large sections of the province were at a 10 or 10+ on the scale, including: Edmonton, Calgary, Airdrie, Bruderheim, Caroline, Elk Island, Genesee, Hinton, Redwater, and Bonnyville areas.

Watch below: As British Columbia declared a state of emergency because of the hundreds of wildfires burning in that province, Edmontonians woke up to an eerily orange and smoky sky on Wednesday. Fletcher Kent reports.

3:11 Edmonton enveloped in eerily thick wildfire smoke from B.C. Edmonton enveloped in eerily thick wildfire smoke from B.C.

LISTEN BELOW: Chief meteorologist Jesse Beyer speaks with the 630 CHED Afternoon News about the air quality in Edmonton

Many regions were expected to reach a 10+ later Wednesday. A 10+ is considered “very high risk,” at which point Alberta Health suggests people avoid strenuous activities outdoors, and children and the elderly should also avoid outdoor physical exertion.

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The poor air quality was expected to continue into Thursday.

Orange sun shining through thick smoke in the air over southeast Edmonton on August 15, 2018. Courtesy: Kristopher Brooks

The orange-brown haze is caused by smoke particles.

“Smoke in the air acts as a filter, scattering the shorter wavelengths, i.e. blue light and leaving the longer wavelengths behind (red, orange),” said an Instagram post by the TELUS World of Science.

“This process is called Rayleigh scattering and is the same reason why sunsets are often lovely warm colours: with the sun low in the sky, sunlight passes through a thicker layer of the atmosphere which serves as a filter. This process is dramatically enhanced with a thick blanket of smoke such as we had this morning leading to orange skies well after sunrise.”

The haze prompted many people to share photos on social media of the foreboding sky.

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Lovely morning in the apocalypse. I think I saw a crow's head rotate and a person explode into a horde of demons. #yeg #yegwx #smoke #Apocalypse pic.twitter.com/1aFa9VG4YE — Cake Raptor (@Raptor_Chick) August 15, 2018

Today’s practice has been moved to the field house because we’ve seen the movie Silent Hill. pic.twitter.com/G45lbUA5J7 — Edmonton Eskimos (@EdmontonEsks) August 15, 2018

Two days ago we posted the photo on the right of the fog. This is the same spot… But a very different sky today. #Smoke #yeg #yegwx #abstorm #apocalypticyeg pic.twitter.com/m6I4tC2wUG — Global Edmonton (@GlobalEdmonton) August 15, 2018

I saw this posted somewhere else and had to do one too. It is very #MadMax outside today in #AB pic.twitter.com/wj5QwTY0Kk — Phil D (@PhilDWeather) August 15, 2018

Lungs for Sale: Harshly used. In need of refurbishment. Slight smoky smell. Will accept trade offers. Must pick up in Edmonton. #yeg — Ryan Cormier (@el_cormier) August 15, 2018

The air quality health index is at an 8 out of 10 this morning in #yeg. My lungs can tell. #yegwx #abstorm #apocalypticyeg pic.twitter.com/FobMp6a30G — Karen Bartko (@KarenBartko) August 15, 2018

Can #yeg please turn off the Trump filter. The apocalyptic orange is not a good look for the city #yegwx pic.twitter.com/FKwdHgQIHF — James (@AccountingJames) August 15, 2018

Eerie outside in #yeg this morning. Smoke still sitting on top of the city, everything is a muted yellow. It’s what I imagine living on Venus would be like. #yegwx — Aaron Talbot (@tibbitytalbs) August 15, 2018

Is this what waking up on Mars looks like? #yeg #smoke — Steven Sandor (@stevensandor) August 15, 2018

It looks like the end of times outside…. #yeg pic.twitter.com/RW5BCoOcWy — Tyler Hardeman (@wunderbar) August 15, 2018

So what is it they say about yellow sky in the morning? I think it is something like "go back to bed". #yeg #gross — Grumpy T Met (@GrumpytMet) August 15, 2018

Rode my valiant steed through the apocalypse this morning. The smoke is so thick you cannot see downtown today from 50th street footbridge. #yeg #yegbike #yeg pic.twitter.com/8oF4cx0oIq — Andrew Bieman (@AndrewBieman) August 15, 2018

Anyone else wake up this morning and think it was still nighttime because of our cloud of smoke in #yeg? — The Broke Girl Blog (@thebrokebloggr) August 15, 2018

I wish I could take a pic from my downtown office but it honestly feels like the middle of the night. I didn't think smoke could get this heavy from so far away #yeg #smoke — Bobby Roy (@broyboy9) August 15, 2018

#Yeg #wildfire #Alberta it’s nearly 8am and the smoke has completely darkened the sky. This photo actually lightens up the environment. Cannot remember when the entire province was under a smoke advisory. Alberta is 25 percent larger than France in Size. pic.twitter.com/1yVFfuNnVY — joe makowecki (@cheemo_joe) August 15, 2018

Seriously what planet are we on? pic.twitter.com/pn0Pd7IyHe — Nevin deMilliano (@SwiftChaser) August 15, 2018

Went to sleep playing Fallout 4. Woke up in the Glowing Sea. Some sort of viral marketing for the next Fallout @bethesda? I don't like it. #yeg #orangesky pic.twitter.com/odHhvqcntx — Julian Finn (@CaptainHylp) August 15, 2018

Anyone sitting outside on a patio today in #yeg pic.twitter.com/4o94LSFfC4 — Michael (@MikeyB0101) August 15, 2018

Edmonton mood today: zombie apocalypse. #yeg — Andrea Taylor (@RadioAndrea) August 15, 2018

Watch below: Global meteorologist Jesse Beyer has the weather forecast for Edmonton and surrounding areas for Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2018.

3:04 Edmonton Weather Forecast: Aug. 15 Edmonton Weather Forecast: Aug. 15