Two more Sask. wildfires contained, evacuees returning
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WATCH: As Stacey Hein reports, good progress is being made on Saskatchewan's wildfires. Five communities are still under evacuation orders.
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CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Low mosquito numbers in Edmonton but expert warns that could change quickly
The wet weekend weather in Edmonton has mosquito treatment program crews rushing to sites around the city where the insects are most likely to be hatching. As Edmonton continues to see spring showers, pest management experts are keeping a close eye on what it means for mosquito development. 'At this point we're not seeing a lot of adult mosquito activity,' said Mike Jenkins, a senior scientist with the City of Edmonton's Pest Management Laboratory. 'Our trap numbers are among the lowest we've had for a May period in many years,' he added. Sign up for breaking news alerts from CTV News Edmonton, right at your fingertips Jenkins said most of the mosquito activity is happening around roadside ditches, industrial parts of the city and areas with low-lying depressions. 'Roadside ditch and ground crews have been out treating those habitats, reducing the numbers of mosquito larvae that are developing in those areas and hopefully we'll continue to have low mosquito numbers going forward,' he said. 'Enjoy the lack of mosquitoes," Jenkins said. Mike Jenkins Mike Jenkins checks a mosquito trap on May 23, 2024. (Matt Marshall, CTV News Edmonton) Conditions have been ideal for keeping not just mosquitoes away but Jenkins said are also keeping the number of yellow jackets and ants low. 'That could change drastically,' said Jenkins. 'If we get a lot of precipitation coming in in June, if we get high temperatures that increase both the development of mosquitoes but also ramps up the development for yellow jackets and ants,' he said. Jenkins said the Aedes Vexans species that develop in summer conditions can go from nothing to biting in less than a week with enough rain. 'A dormant egg that has been sitting there for five to 10 years, that can be triggered by a rainfall and it goes through its cycle of larval stages and emerges as an adult within four to five days,' he said. The Culex Pipiens is another species Edmonton mosquito experts are watching. It was discovered a few years ago and Jenkins said it's a species known to carry the West Nile Virus. 'We did get some West Nile cases in Alberta last year but not in the Edmonton area,' said Jenkins. It's a species linked more to temperature than rainfall and habitats usually develop in standing water around people's property, in things like bird baths, eaves troughs, old tires and uncovered rain barrels. 'Make sure that those aren't acting as a mosquito development site,' said Jenkins. 'Empty the water out of them. If you have a bird bath in particular, change the water at least once a week,' he added. He said crews are finding more Cuelax Pipiens in Edmonton every year and that the city is developing a plan on how to best address the increase. Mike Jenkins Mike Jenkins checks a new carbon dioxide mosquito trap being used in Edmonton. (Matt Marshall/CTV News Edmonton) The city has also started using new traps to collect mosquito data. 'We've now switched entirely to carbon dioxide baited traps,' said Jenkins. The traps are battery powered giving crews more flexibility on where they can be put up, and use carbon dioxide instead of a light bulb to attract mosquitos. 'Rather than having all the flies and moths and everything else that gets attracted to the light bulbs we get a sample that is pretty much just mosquitoes,' Jenkins said. 'As we catch them they're actually still alive and so they're very good specimens, we can do things like virus sampling and stuff on those specimens rather than with the light traps where they've been sitting dead for a week,' he added.
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
Seasonal conditions right up until the first day of summer
Things will change a bit a little later this week, but for the next couple of days, we can expect it to be more or less rinse and repeat. It was a gorgeous day in Calgary with calm winds, warm temperatures and lots of sunshine throughout Monday afternoon. In the early evening hours, there remained a slight risk of some isolated thunderstorms for the city, but models suggested the more severe cells would develop north of Calgary and to the east of the city. This really remains the weather pattern for the next several days, which is a typical setup for this time of year in Alberta. gina weather / june 16, 2025 On Tuesday, expect a high of 23 C with a mix of sun and cloud throughout the day and another possible round of thunderstorms in the late afternoon/early evening. While we enjoy the consistency, change is brewing over the north Pacific Ocean. gina weather / june 16, 2025 Two low-pressure systems are swirling near the Gulf of Alaska and have the potential to join forces later this week to pack a punch of precipitation to parts of southern Alberta. We could get our first blast of wet weather ironically on the first day of summer on Friday—that's when this system starts to steer more inland. Some models show the outer edge of the low could collide with another low over Nunavut. gina weather / june 16, 2025 This could create not only wet conditions by Saturday but windy ones as well, with gusts out of the north as strong as 30-50 km/h. This weather maker is still several days out, so naturally there is a lot of variation in possible precipitation totals. For now, it appears at least 25 mm of precipitation could fall on both Friday and Saturday, though we will have a clearer picture closer to the actual event! gina weather / june 16, 2025 Joanne Kochan captured this image Sunday evening south of Cochrane:
CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
A lovely Monday will be chased by more of the same Tuesday
Calgary Watch Things will change a bit a little later this week, but for the next couple of days, we can expect it to be more or less rinse and repeat.
