Latest news with #CanadianWildlandFire
CBC
03-06-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Canadian wildfire smoke blows over to Europe
Plumes of smoke from the wildfires burning in Canada have been blown across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe, with more expected to arrive this week, satellite data shows. The first plume hit the Mediterranean region on May 18, and a larger one reached northwestern Europe on June 1, with more expected to hit Europe this week, Europe's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) reported Tuesday. Large, out-of-control fires continue to rage from B.C. to Ontario, forcing more than 17,000 people to flee their homes in Manitoba, and thousands more in other provinces, including Alberta and Saskatchewan. Mark Parrington, a senior scientist with CAMS, said the long-distance movement of smoke plumes was a "reflection of the scale of the fires and impacts they have been having in Manitoba and Saskatchewan." While the smoke is expected to lead to hazy skies and red-orange sunsets in Europe, it's not expected to have a significant impact on surface air quality there, as the smoke is high above the ground. Besides heading east to Europe, smoke from the wildfires is also blowing southeast to other parts of Canada and into the upper Midwest in the U.S., causing "hazardous" air quality in some areas. This year's wildfires have already burned 2.1 million hectares, according to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System. Fire danger is extreme across much of the regions where wildfires are raging, thanks to hot, dry and windy conditions — the kinds of weather conditions that are more likely and intense due to human-caused climate change. The fire weather pattern everyone is watching 5 days ago Duration 1:41 It's still May, and wildfire season across the Prairies is already off to a dangerous and fast-moving start. Meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe explains how extreme heat, and gusty winds are creating a perfect storm for fire growth — with no rain in sight. The fires themselves are also producing huge amounts of climate-warming emissions: CAMS estimated that so far this year, Canadian wildfires had released 56 megatonnes of carbon by June 2. That's second highest for this time of year, just behind 2023, a record-breaking year for wildfires.
CTV News
07-05-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Hot, dry weather this week adds to extreme fire danger risk
Daytime highs in southern Alberta are expected to hit the mid to high 20s Wednesday, with some locations in the southeast reaching temperatures as warm as 30 C. This is concerning given - as of 7 a.m. May 7, 2025 - most of Alberta and Saskatchewan are rated as an 'extreme' risk for wildfire. Hot, dry weather this week adds to extreme fire danger risk The fire danger relative index from the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Warm temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds are already creating challenging conditions for crews battling the wildfires across the province, especially in areas in the north half of Alberta. A strong ridge of high pressure has been serving as the main weather-maker across the west to start the week, however a lee low from the north is starting to introduce instability along the north and western edges of that ridge. Hot, dry weather this week adds to extreme fire danger risk Typical of this type of synoptic setup in May, there is a risk of a lighting and strong wind as that low pressure system interacts with the high, which is a problem. Areas that have dried out under the recent unusually warm temperatures, will contribute to the available fuel load, and any new instability can cause rapid intensification of new and/or current fires. Heavy rain is possible Wednesday in portions of northern Alberta and along the northern edge of the Rockies, which should prove to be (at least temporarily) helpful for current wildfires. In Calgary, there is little risk of rain until the end of the weekend. Daytime highs in Calgary will remain above the seasonal average of 15 C until early next week, with lows ranging form 5 C to 9 C, compared to the normal low value of 2 C.
CTV News
06-05-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Warm and windy Tuesday as daytime highs reach mid to high 20s by Wednesday
A dominant ridge of high pressure situated over the west and edging into the territories has become the main weather-maker for Alberta and B.C. Under that ridge stable conditions will prevail for the next couple of days, bringing above seasonal temperatures, minimal cloud cover and no risk of active weather (aside from the edges of that high). In southern Alberta, strong southeasterly winds are expected to start late Tuesday morning with sustained speeds of 30 km/h in Calgary and gusts up to 50 km/h, with these winds continuing for most of the day. Wednesday will bring even warmer temperatures in central and southern Alberta with daytime highs between 25 C to nearly 30 C in some communities. Warm and windy Tuesday as daytime highs reach mid to high 20s by Wednesday There is concern about an amplified wildfire and/or grassfire risk with these types of conditions as the ground is often quite dry in early May and the transitions between weather patterns can be quite dramatic hosting strong frontal systems with intense wind and frequent convective activity (lightning). Warm and windy Tuesday as daytime highs reach mid to high 20s by Wednesday The fire danger relative index from the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System on Tuesday, May 6, 2025. As of Tuesday morning, the fire danger relative index across most of Alberta was rated as very high or extreme. This index takes into consideration three key data points; how easy it would be for a wildfire to ignite vegetation, how difficult it would be to control a fire and potential damage from a wildfire. This risk is likely to increase over the next few days with more heat expected and little to no rain forecast for central and southern Alberta. In Calgary, rain is unlikely until early next week, with daytime highs ranging from 17 C to 25 C until then.
