Canadian wildfire smoke reaches Europe after near 7,000-km journey
While Canadian fire crews across several provinces continue to battle blazes that have prompted states of emergency and forced people from their homes, smoke from the wildfires have been travelling a fair distance over the past few weeks, especially in recent days.
Over the past few days, smoke has travelled nearly 7,000 kilometres––more than half of the globe in distance. And that won't be the end of it, either, as additional smoke is expected to reach Europe in the coming days as strong winds force the plume farther east into the continent.
DON'T MISS:
According to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), the first high-altitude smoke plume entered the Mediterranean region on May 18-19, with reports of it reaching Greece and the eastern Mediterranean. Following that, a much larger quantity of wildfire smoke plume travelled across the Atlantic during the last week of May, hitting northwestern parts of Europe on Sunday, June 1.
The issue of wildfire smoke will remain a problem for Eastern Canada, as well, with recent, explosive fire behaviour in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and strong winds expected to push more of it eastward, eventually hitting Europe in the next week or so.
Major wildfires continue throughout portions of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and northern British Columbia. Provincial states of emergency have been issued for Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where multiple communities remain under evacuation orders.
Mark Parrington, senior scientist of with CAMS, said wildfires are a frequent occurrence in boreal forests from spring and through the summer months.
June 1-3, 2025 satellite imagery. (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT))
Up to the start of June, CAMS' data showed that parts of Canada have experienced a "very intense few weeks" in terms of wildfire emissions.
"This data, and the fact that we are able to observe the smoke in Europe, is a reflection of the scale of the fires and impacts they have been having in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. In CAMS, we monitor events such as these in order to understand how they affect the atmosphere and air quality regionally and globally," said Parrington, in a news release.
The good news is that the air quality in Europe isn't expected to be affected, unlike parts of Canada where alerts are in place to advise of health risks, since it will remain well above the surface. But folks can expect hazy skies alongside red sunrises and sunsets.
Click here to view the video
With files from Rachel Modestino, a meteorologist at The Weather Network.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Map Shows 2 States Where Children Warned of Breathing Difficulties
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Air quality alerts continued on Tuesday, with children in two states being warned of "breathing difficulties" if they are exposed to poor air quality. Weather conditions such as light winds and higher temperatures are causing smoke from Canadian wildfires to settle in Ohio, pushing air quality into the unhealthy range, National Weather Service (NWS) observing program leader Brian Mitchell told Newsweek. Why It Matters Smoke from Canadian wildfires prompted widespread air quality alerts across the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes, and Northeast regions over the past few weeks. As of Tuesday, most of the smoke has moved out of the region. However, air quality alerts remain in parts of Ohio and Arizona for fine particulate matter and ozone pollution, respectively. The Air Quality Index (AQI) is expected to be Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups, which includes children and the elderly, in the affected regions. What to Know When inhaled, particles can lodge deep in the lungs and trigger inflammation, while ozone irritates the respiratory system and can exacerbate asthma. Children are particularly vulnerable to the impacts because of their developing respiratory systems and tendency to spend more time outdoors. In Ohio, the air quality alert was issued by the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency and warns of ground-level fine particles affecting the air quality in Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage and Summit Counties. A stock image shows a child coughing while outside. A stock image shows a child coughing while outside. AaronAmat/Getty "Air quality levels will be unhealthy for sensitive groups during this period. If you are in the sensitive groups category of children, the elderly and those with breathing difficulties, please monitor your outdoor activity and check air quality readings at In Arizona, an Ozone High Pollution Advisory was in place for Maricopa County, including more than a million people who live in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Sunlight can contribute to higher ozone levels, making these alerts more common in the summertime. "This means that forecast weather conditions combined with existing ozone levels are expected to result in local maximum 8-hour ozone concentrations that pose a health risk. Adverse health effects increase as air quality deteriorates," the alert said. "Ozone is an air contaminant which can cause breathing difficulties for children, older adults, as well as persons with respiratory problems. A decrease in physical activity is recommended." In both states, people were urged to avoid worsening air quality levels by driving less, not idling in their vehicles, refilling their gas tanks after sunset, and waiting to mow the lawn. An air quality alert also was in place for parts of Michigan, although people in that state were not warned of breathing difficulties. What People Are Saying Air quality alert in Arizona: "You are urged to car pool, telecommute or use mass transit. The use of gasoline-powered equipment should be reduced or done late in the day." Air quality alert for Michigan: "Surface temperatures well into the 80s, ample sunlight, and west-southwest winds will create a conducive environment for Ozone development along the Lake Michigan shoreline. Residual wildfire smoke in the region may also enhance Ozone development over Lake Michigan." What Happens Next Both alerts are in place throughout Tuesday. More air quality alerts could be issued as smoke is expected to return on Wednesday.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
HHS justifies decision to stop recommending Covid shots during pregnancy with studies supporting the shots' safety
The Department of Health and Human Services is circulating a document on Capitol Hill to explain its decision to remove the Covid-19 vaccine recommendation for pregnant women — citing studies that largely found the shot is safe. The document, which HHS sent to lawmakers days before Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his plan to fire the panel that advises the CDC on immunizations, says that studies have shown that women who got the vaccine during pregnancy had higher rates of various complications. And it claims that "a number of studies in pregnant women showed higher rates of fetal loss if vaccination was received before 20 weeks of pregnancy,' footnoting a research paper on vaccination during pregnancy. But Dr. Maria P. Velez of McGill University, the lead author of one of the studies, told POLITICO in an email that 'the results of our manuscript were misinterpreted.' The 2023 study shows a slightly higher rate of miscarriages among women who were immunized against Covid-19 during their pregnancies. But, Velez said, that after adjusting for 'variables that can confound a crude association,' like 'age, rurality, neighbourhood income quintile, immigration status, comorbidity' and other factors that could affect the outcome, Canadian researchers found 'no association between SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and an increased risk of miscarriage.' Raw numbers don't account for significant differences among the groups being compared — such as underlying conditions and when during pregnancy the people were vaccinated, said Katelyn Jetelina, an epidemiologist who's consulted for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Scientists, including the Canadian researchers, use statistical methods to adjust for those factors, she said, which is how they determined the vaccine wasn't associated with miscarriage. In a statement, HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon pointed to the raw study data, which showed a slightly higher rate of miscarriage in the first half of pregnancy for women who were vaccinated against Covid compared with those who weren't. "The underlying data speaks for itself — and it raises legitimate safety concerns," he said. "HHS will not ignore that evidence or downplay early pregnancy loss." Nixon added that HHS and the CDC encourage people to talk to their providers "about any personal medical decision." Vaccine researchers and obstetricians criticized the decision to remove the recommendation for pregnant women, and researchers cited in the HHS document largely dismissed any connection between Covid vaccination and miscarriages. 'Given that COVID-19 infection during pregnancy is associated with serious maternal and neonatal morbidity, the current study can inform healthcare providers, pregnant women and those considering a pregnancy about the safety of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in relation to miscarriage risk,' Velez and her co-authors wrote in the study. That research was based on health-system data from Ontario, Canada, and aligned with similar population studies in the U.S., Scotland and Norway. Similarly, HHS cited an April 2022 study in its document concerning mRNA vaccination in people undergoing in-vitro fertilization, which also found no adverse effects on conception rates or on early pregnancy outcomes. 'Administration of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines was not associated with an adverse effect on stimulation or early pregnancy outcomes after IVF,' the New York City-based researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Mount Sinai West hospital wrote in the study. 'Our findings contribute to the growing body of evidence regarding the safety of COVID-19 vaccination in women who are trying to conceive.' The HHS document also includes an incorrect link for that study, instead leading to a different study — also cited in HHS' document — by Israeli researchers that found the vaccine 'appears to be safe during pregnancy,' with no increase in preterm labor or in newborns with low birth weight. That February 2022 study did note a possible increase in preterm birth rates for women vaccinated during the second trimester, and the authors suggested future investigations of outcomes based on the timing of immunization. HHS' assertion about significant risks to pregnant women 'contradicts the bulk of published studies,' said Dr. Paul Offit, an expert who has served as an outside adviser on vaccines to the FDA and the CDC. HHS deviated from past practice when it changed the Covid vaccine guidance last month, announcing the decision without the endorsement of an existing outside panel of expert advisers. Dr. Steven Fleischman, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, told POLITICO at the time that he was disappointed by HHS' decision, and pointed to data showing that newborns can benefit from maternal antibodies from the vaccine for protection from Covid. 'In fact, growing evidence shows just how much vaccination during pregnancy protects the infant after birth, with the vast majority of hospitalized infants less than 6 months of age — those who are not yet eligible for vaccination — born to unvaccinated mothers,' Fleischman said.
Politico
4 hours ago
- Politico
HHS justifies decision to stop recommending Covid shots during pregnancy with studies supporting the shots' safety
The Department of Health and Human Services is circulating a document on Capitol Hill to explain its decision to remove the Covid-19 vaccine recommendation for pregnant women — citing studies that largely found the shot is safe. The document, which HHS sent to lawmakers days before Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced his plan to fire the panel that advises the CDC on immunizations, says that studies have shown that women who got the vaccine during pregnancy had higher rates of various complications. And it claims that 'a number of studies in pregnant women showed higher rates of fetal loss if vaccination was received before 20 weeks of pregnancy,' footnoting a research paper on vaccination during pregnancy. But Dr. Maria P. Velez of McGill University, the lead author of one of the studies, told POLITICO in an email that 'the results of our manuscript were misinterpreted.' The 2023 study shows a slightly higher rate of miscarriages among women who were immunized against Covid-19 during their pregnancies. But, Velez said, that after adjusting for 'variables that can confound a crude association,' like 'age, rurality, neighbourhood income quintile, immigration status, comorbidity' and other factors that could affect the outcome, Canadian researchers found 'no association between SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and an increased risk of miscarriage.' Raw numbers don't account for significant differences among the groups being compared — such as underlying conditions and when during pregnancy the people were vaccinated, said Katelyn Jetelina, an epidemiologist who's consulted for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Scientists, including the Canadian researchers, use statistical methods to adjust for those factors, she said, which is how they determined the vaccine wasn't associated with miscarriage. In a statement, HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon pointed to the raw study data, which showed a slightly higher rate of miscarriage in the first half of pregnancy for women who were vaccinated against Covid compared with those who weren't. 'The underlying data speaks for itself — and it raises legitimate safety concerns,' he said. 'HHS will not ignore that evidence or downplay early pregnancy loss.' Nixon added that HHS and the CDC encourage people to talk to their providers 'about any personal medical decision.' Vaccine researchers and obstetricians criticized the decision to remove the recommendation for pregnant women, and researchers cited in the HHS document largely dismissed any connection between Covid vaccination and miscarriages. 'Given that COVID-19 infection during pregnancy is associated with serious maternal and neonatal morbidity, the current study can inform healthcare providers, pregnant women and those considering a pregnancy about the safety of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in relation to miscarriage risk,' Velez and her co-authors wrote in the study. That research was based on health-system data from Ontario, Canada, and aligned with similar population studies in the U.S., Scotland and Norway. Similarly, HHS cited an April 2022 study in its document concerning mRNA vaccination in people undergoing in-vitro fertilization, which also found no adverse effects on conception rates or on early pregnancy outcomes. 'Administration of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines was not associated with an adverse effect on stimulation or early pregnancy outcomes after IVF,' the New York City-based researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Mount Sinai West hospital wrote in the study. 'Our findings contribute to the growing body of evidence regarding the safety of COVID-19 vaccination in women who are trying to conceive.' The HHS document also includes an incorrect link for that study, instead leading to a different study — also cited in HHS' document — by Israeli researchers that found the vaccine 'appears to be safe during pregnancy,' with no increase in preterm labor or in newborns with low birth weight. That February 2022 study did note a possible increase in preterm birth rates for women vaccinated during the second trimester, and the authors suggested future investigations of outcomes based on the timing of immunization. HHS' assertion about significant risks to pregnant women 'contradicts the bulk of published studies,' said Dr. Paul Offit, an expert who has served as an outside adviser on vaccines to the FDA and the CDC. HHS deviated from past practice when it changed the Covid vaccine guidance last month, announcing the decision without the endorsement of an existing outside panel of expert advisers. Dr. Steven Fleischman, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, told POLITICO at the time that he was disappointed by HHS' decision, and pointed to data showing that newborns can benefit from maternal antibodies from the vaccine for protection from Covid. 'In fact, growing evidence shows just how much vaccination during pregnancy protects the infant after birth, with the vast majority of hospitalized infants less than 6 months of age — those who are not yet eligible for vaccination — born to unvaccinated mothers,' Fleischman said.
