Latest news with #CIRA
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Wildfires have forced thousands to flee communities across parts of Canada — see photos of the 'challenging' emergency
Wildfires have been burning out of control in parts of Canada, threatening several communities and forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes. The conditions are so severe that Manitoba and Saskatchewan have declared states of emergency. According to Environment Canada's data on May 30, "extreme" conditions — the highest level — are also being seen in parts of Alberta, northeastern British Columbia, the southern parts of the territories and western Ontario. The poor conditions are also posing a threat to northern states in the U.S.; North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and states around the Great Lakes are expected to get the highest smoke concentrations over the next few days. "As we head into the weekend, pray for rain," Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said at a Friday press conference. "We haven't seen rain in the forecast yet. That could really help — sustained rainfall, in particular. But in the absence of that, the past few days have been very challenging, and that may continue." When Kinew ordered a provincewide state of emergency on Wednesday, telling reporters this is "the largest evacuation Manitoba will have seen in most people's living memory." The press conference came after roughly 17,000 residents were evacuated from the affected areas. That includes the entire town of Flin Flon, an area of around 5,000 residents. "The only folks remaining on the ground are firefighters and folks in the office of the fire commissioner and RCMP, who are there to battle the blaze," Kinew said Friday. "We do expect some very, very challenging conditions in Flin Flon and in the surrounding community." Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe declared a state of emergency Thursday: "It's a very serious situation that we're faced with," he said at a Prince Albert press conference, adding the province also needs to see some rain. Thousands have already evacuated their homes in the province. Below, see some of the most eye-widening photos from the incident that's ravaging parts of Western and Central Canada. Smoke from Canadian wildfires blankets much of central North America. — CIRA (@CIRA_CSU) May 30, 2025 Wildfires in Manitoba, Canada have triggered the evacuation of over 17,000 people. These aerial shots are unbelievable. — Met4Cast. (@Met4CastUK) May 29, 2025 smoke from Canadian wildfires — ian (@bigseawaterite) May 30, 2025 The Canada wildfire smoke has arrived. Grass got tough fast. — Maria Cox (@MariaCoxFarm) May 31, 2025
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Wildfires have forced thousands to flee communities across parts of Canada — see photos of the 'challenging' emergency
Wildfires have been burning out of control in parts of Canada, threatening several communities and forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes. The conditions are so severe that Manitoba and Saskatchewan have declared states of emergency. According to Environment Canada's data on May 30, "extreme" conditions — the highest level — are also being seen in parts of Alberta, northeastern British Columbia, the southern parts of the territories and western Ontario. The poor conditions are also posing a threat to northern states in the U.S.; North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and states around the Great Lakes are expected to get the highest smoke concentrations over the next few days. "As we head into the weekend, pray for rain," Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said at a Friday press conference. "We haven't seen rain in the forecast yet. That could really help — sustained rainfall, in particular. But in the absence of that, the past few days have been very challenging, and that may continue." When Kinew ordered a provincewide state of emergency on Wednesday, telling reporters this is "the largest evacuation Manitoba will have seen in most people's living memory." The press conference came after roughly 17,000 residents were evacuated from the affected areas. That includes the entire town of Flin Flon, an area of around 5,000 residents. "The only folks remaining on the ground are firefighters and folks in the office of the fire commissioner and RCMP, who are there to battle the blaze," Kinew said Friday. "We do expect some very, very challenging conditions in Flin Flon and in the surrounding community." Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe declared a state of emergency Thursday: "It's a very serious situation that we're faced with," he said at a Prince Albert press conference, adding the province also needs to see some rain. Thousands have already evacuated their homes in the province. Below, see some of the most eye-widening photos from the incident that's ravaging parts of Western and Central Canada. Smoke from Canadian wildfires blankets much of central North America. — CIRA (@CIRA_CSU) May 30, 2025 Wildfires in Manitoba, Canada have triggered the evacuation of over 17,000 people. These aerial shots are unbelievable. — Met4Cast. (@Met4CastUK) May 29, 2025 smoke from Canadian wildfires — ian (@bigseawaterite) May 30, 2025 The Canada wildfire smoke has arrived. Grass got tough fast. — Maria Cox (@MariaCoxFarm) May 31, 2025
USA Today
4 days ago
- Climate
- USA Today
Hazy outlook: Smoke, dust likely to impact US skies this weekend
Hazy outlook: Smoke, dust likely to impact US skies this weekend Show Caption Hide Caption 'Massive smoke plumes' from wildfires cover Canadian provinces Timelapse satellite imagery shows wildfires and thick smoke over two Canadian provinces on Monday, May 26. CSU/CIRA & NOAA via Storyful CSU/CIRA & NOAA Noxious wildfire smoke from Canada will infiltrate the U.S. through the north this weekend, just as African dust clouds approach from the east. They have nothing to do with the Trump tariffs and might not be as ominous as it sounds, but their presence will be noticeable. Meteorologists are especially keeping track of the smoke, emanating from wildfires in Canadian territory from British Columbia to Manitoba, which have the potential to cause health problems in American soil. Smoke has already been detected drifting in through Montana, North Dakota and northern Minnesota, where air quality alerts have been issued. The smoke is expected to spread across the upper Midwest on Friday and Saturday before heading southeast, where cloud cover would minimize its impact. While not on the same scale as the spring and summer of 2023, when 800-plus Canadian wildfires burned more than 40 million acres and blanketed large swaths of the U.S. Midwest and East with a gray haze, the current spate of approximately 150 blazes will have an extended impact across the border as the wind blows southeast. Chicago, Milwaukee in the smoke's path Major population areas in and around Chicago and Milwaukee will likely be in the smoke's path, and possibly Detroit and Indianapolis as well. 'We will see more smoke across parts of the Midwest, even down into portions of the Ohio Valley by Sunday,'' AccuWeather meteorologist Elizabeth Danco said. 'We are expecting some of it to get down into some of the lower levels of the atmosphere, which could cause some reduced air quality and some health hazards, especially for those with respiratory issues.'' How acute those become could be determined by the smoke's elevation in the atmosphere. At lower levels it can not only cause breathing difficulties but also impair driving visibility. When remaining high, the haze actually leads to vibrant sunrises and sunsets. That same phenomenon may be on display with the appearance of the Saharan dust clouds, which are fairly common this time of year. The first of two large ones is primed to arrive this weekend and is aiming for Florida and the Gulf Coast, in addition to the Caribbean, parts of Mexico and most of Central America, AccuWeather said. Some benefits to the dust clouds The second one is even bigger and will likely cover all of Florida and most of the gulf by Thursday morning, according to the outlet. Danco said neither one figures to present a health threat or affect air quality because they will mostly remain at high levels in the atmosphere. Dust clouds can actually have the beneficial effect of inhibiting storm formation or development because they carry such dry air, the opposite of what nourishes weather systems like hurricanes. In addition, the hazy skies they create can be quite vibrant as the sun rises and sets. 'They have a nice orange hue to them,'' Danco said. 'It's really cool to see the sky. There should be some good pictures coming out.''
USA Today
5 days ago
- Climate
- USA Today
Heavy smoke expected to hit the US as dangerous Canadian wildfires force 17K to evacuate
Heavy smoke expected to hit the US as dangerous Canadian wildfires force 17K to evacuate Blazes in the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan have forced thousands to evacuate. Smoke from the fires is expected to waft over the U.S. through the weekend. Show Caption Hide Caption 'Massive smoke plumes' from wildfires cover Canadian provinces Timelapse satellite imagery shows wildfires and thick smoke over two Canadian provinces on Monday, May 26. CSU/CIRA & NOAA via Storyful CSU/CIRA & NOAA As many as 17,000 people in Canada are being evacuated as active wildfires have charred hundreds of thousands of acres in the country, officials said, threatening to waft heavy smoke over the northern United States. Rising heat, winds, and dry air sparked blazes in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, according to the country's Department of Natural Resources. Residents in the United States are expected to face poor air quality from the fires as soon as May 30. "This is a very serious situation," Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said at a news conference on May 29. "I do fear things are going to deteriorate with the weather we have ahead of us in the days ahead." Active blazes have burned 696,000 acres in Saskatchewan and 173,000 acres in Manitoba, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. A total of nearly 1.5 million acres have burned across the two provinces so far this year, according to the fire center. Moe said he expected the fires to worsen until a two or three-day rainfall event. Smoke from the blazes is expected to fall heavily over Midwestern states, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan, and cut across the country to reach the Carolinas by May 31, according to FireSmoke Canada, a team of forecasters at the University of British Columbia. Canadian authorities have called in the military to help with the "sheer scale" of the evacuations, Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said at a news conference. "We're talking about hours instead of days to move this amount of people," said Kinew, adding it was the largest evacuation "seen in most people's living memory." The two provinces have declared a state of emergency. The blazes also stretch into the province of Ontario, where 130,000 acres have burned. Canadian wildfires, again The smoke drifting over the United States from the Canadian blazes comes after American cities in the Northeast, Midwest, and Plains encountered unhealthy air quality due to the nightmarish wildfires in Canada in 2023. Over 6,000 blazes left more than 37 million acres burned, an area larger than England, according to Canada's natural resources department. The American Lung Association's 2025 "State of the Air Report" found that a growing number of Americans were living with poor air quality due to the Canadian fires, even as other means of pollution were reduced. The report was based on data through 2023. As of May 29, 1,500 blazes have charred 1.8 million acres across Canada. 'We were not prepared': Canada fought nightmarish wildfires as smoke became US problem What to expect in the United States Smoke from the blazes is expected to waft over large parts of the United States starting in the Midwest, according to forecasters at FireSmoke Canada. Minnesota began feeling the impact of the blazes on May 29, according to the state's Pollution Control Agency. Upper Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan were expected to experience poor air quality by the evening. Smoke is expected to hit the Ohio Valley on May 30 and the Carolinas by the early hours of Saturday. Minnesota authorities warned of unhealthy levels of exposure to fine particles from the wildfires. Symptoms include everything from shortness of breath to heart attack and stroke.
Mercury
5 days ago
- Climate
- Mercury
Tropical Storm Alvin Brews Over Pacific Ocean
Satellite imagery captured Tropical Storm Alvin, the first named storm of the eastern Pacific hurricane season, brewing over the ocean near Mexico on Thursday, May 29. This imagery released by the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) shows convection burbling over the Pacific Ocean on Thursday. The storm is expected to weaken into a depression by Sunday before nearing land, according to the National Hurricane Center. Credit: CSU/CIRA & NOAA via Storyful
