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CTV News
3 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
How air quality is measured when wildfire smoke rolls in
Wildfire smoke hangs over the Albert Street bridge in Regina on May 30, 2025. (CTV News Regina Skycam) With smoke from wildfires spreading throughout Saskatchewan, air quality statements and warnings have been and continue to be in effect for many parts of the province. Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) measures air quality in several ways when determining if health risks are elevated prompting advisories to be put in effect. That includes when smoke from wildfires moves in. Meteorologist Danielle Desjardins says to simplify the process for the public, the weather office uses a scale called the air quality health index (AQHI) with a one to 10 scale. Anything from a one to a three on the scale means minimal health risks, four through six means moderate, and seven through 10 means high. Anything above 10 is rated as extreme. Desjardins said 10-plus readings have been and are expected to continue throughout the province. Fine particles represent the main health risk with wildfire smoke, ECCC says. Smoke from wildfires is a mix of gases, particles and water vapour that contain ozone, methane, sulfur and nitrogen dioxides, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds, fine particle matter (PM 2.5) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), according to ECCC. 'When air quality gets poor, it's mainly due to something we call PM 2.5, particulate matter 2.5,' Desjardins said. The level of smoke or pollution in the air is then determined by a parts per million measurement. 'So, let's say that the PM 2.5 is 60. That means that out of a million molecules of dry air, 60 of those will be particulate matter 2.5,' Desjardins said. ECCC will issue air quality statements when the AQHI reaches moderate and high levels and warnings when it reaches extreme levels. As of Friday, the province said 16 wildfires are burning around Saskatchewan, seven of those are considered not contained. However, wildfire smoke can travel thousands of kilometres and fires from other provinces and the U.S. regularly bring smoky conditions to Saskatchewan. On Thursday, Premier Scott Moe declared a provincial wildfire state of emergency. A smoke forecast map can be seen here.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
More hot, dry weather forecast as Canada battles wildfires
Canadian officials are warning of tough days ahead for fighting growing wildfires in Saskatchewan and Manitoba with hot and dry weather in the weekend forecast. The wildfires have forced thousands to evacuate in the two prairie provinces, with both this week declaring states of emergency. Smoke from the fires has triggered air quality alerts in Canada and as far as Chicago, where forecasters say the smell of smoke will be noticeable by Friday evening. There are also air quality advisories in place in parts of the US Upper Midwest, including Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. "Conditions maybe unhealthy for sensitive groups and there is a possibility that hourly levels could reach the unhealthy range for a short period of time," the state of Michigan said on Friday. The advisories in Michigan and Wisconsin are currently in place through Saturday morning. Residents in northern Minnesota have been warned smoke could reach levels "unhealthy for everyone", with the rest of the state facing air quality that could effect those in sensitive groups. That alert runs through Monday evening. There are 15 wildfires burning in Saskatchewan as of Friday, with the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC) classifying conditions in the province as extreme. Seven of those fires are not contained, according to data from the province. In Manitoba, there is a total of 22 fires burning, according to the province's fire situation report, with four classified as out of control. Thousands of people from 16 communities had been forced to evacuate in Saskatchewan this week as a result of the fires. Similar evacuations took place in Manitoba, affecting 17,000 people. All residents of Flin Flon, Manitoba, a community of about 5,000, have been told to leave by midday on Friday due to a large blaze threatening the town. Danielle Desjardins, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada based in Winnipeg, told the BBC that the forecast for both provinces does not spell relief any time soon, with hot and dry conditions expected to continue into the weekend. A cold front is expected to hit some parts of Saskatchewan, bringing with it some rain, but its current forecasted path narrowly misses the regions where the fires are burning. "The bad news about this cold front is it's going to be windy," said Ms Desjardins, adding that the wind, coupled with the heat and lack of rain, are prime conditions for wildfire spread. She said Saskatchewan has been "extremely dry" since March, and is experiencing abnormally warm weather for May that has pushed temperatures to above 30C (86F). She added that anecdotally, "it's one of the worst (wildfire seasons) in recent years for Saskatchewan". How climate change worsens heatwaves, droughts, wildfires and floods There is also concern smoke from Canada's fires could affect the G7, being held in mid-June in Alberta. Fires are currently burning in the northern part of the province. Canada experienced its worst wildfire season on record in 2023, when over 42 million acres (17.3m hectares) burned - an area larger than all of England - and more than double the previous record. Smoke from those wildfires blanketed cities south of Canada's border into the US, including New York City. But the 2023 fires were more acutely felt in Alberta, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec. This year, it is Saskatchewan and Manitoba that are seeing the largest fires to date. Fires happen naturally in many parts of the world. It is difficult to know if climate change has caused or worsened a specific wildfire because other factors are also relevant, such as changes to the way land is used. But climate change is making the weather conditions needed for wildfires to spread more likely, the IPCC, the UN's climate body, says.
CBC
16-05-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Rain brings relief to some parts of Manitoba but only brushes Lac du Bonnet blaze
Social Sharing Much-needed rain fell in several parts of parched southern Manitoba on Thursday and overnight into Friday, but it only grazed the Lac du Bonnet area, where a wildfire has raged since Monday and claimed the lives of two people. The storm system brought several small thunderstorms that had widely varying rainfall amounts, said Danielle Desjardins, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. "Unfortunately, the areas closer to the wildfires didn't get as much precipitation as we saw further south and west, especially the Red River Valley and points west," she said. About 11.5 millimetres fell in Great Falls, just north of the fire in the rural municipality of Lac du Bonnet, which only received 0.1 mm. Libau, west of the RM, got 47 mm. The Colorado low that brought the rain isn't quite done with Manitoba yet, so there is still a chance it could help in the firefighting efforts, Desjardins said. There should be some more shower activity later Friday as the low swings to the east, she said, noting about 10-15 mm is still expected with the system, but amounts could be quite variable. "I'm hoping that they get a lot of precipitation. It's a very unfortunate and heartbreaking situation," she said. "Unfortunately, Mother Nature's going to do what it's going to do but … the one good thing is that temperatures behind the system are going to be quite a lot cooler than we have seen in recent days. So those hot, dry and windy conditions that are primed for the ignition and spread of wildfire will be subsided." Despite the ongoing battle, some evacuees have been allowed to return to their properties in the RM. According to the RM of Lac du Bonnet website, the evacuation was lifted as of 8 p.m. Thursday for permanent residents in Wendigo road subdivisions and residences stretching from Highway 313 to Newcombe Road. No seasonal access or visitors are permitted there yet, and all other evacuated areas remain closed. Updates are being posted to the Lac du Bonnet Emergency Management Facebook page. Even with the rain and cooler temperatures, "the fire remains active in several areas within the identified red zone, which means that our evacuation must remain in place," states a message posted just after 9 a.m. Friday on the Facebook page. "We appreciate the impact that these decisions have on our residents but we must continue to make decisions that provide the highest level of safety." At last report, that fire is just over 4,000 hectares, and it's still touch-and-go. "I was there this morning [on Wendigo Road] … where the fire started. There's still hot spots and smoldering points on that fire," RM of Lac du Bonnet Reeve Loren Schinkel said Friday. Rain 'a blessing' in Piney The rain did make an impact on one out-of-control fire in the province. The Piney wildfire "was getting extremely close to the community [of Woodridge]. Then all of a sudden we could feel the temperature drop … so we knew the rain was coming," said Ken Prociw, a councillor for the RM of Piney, near the U.S.-Manitoba border. "The skies just opened up. It was a blessing. It just changed everything." That fire, which was just across the street from the Woodridge fire hall, was suddenly held. Prior to that, crews were scrambling to create fire breaks but the flames kept jumping them, he said. "It was changing constantly. It was unbelievable how it was swarming." According to Friday's update from the RM, the Woodridge area got 15 mm of rain, but the fire is still listed as out of control and the state of emergency remains in place. The fire was last estimated to be 7,880 hectares in size and had already forced evacuations in the communities of St. Labre, Florze and parts of Carrick and Woodridge. Prociw said it has destroyed one home in St. Labre and possibly two cottages in Florze. Evacuation orders will not be lifted until the status of the fire has been changed to "being held," the RM's update states. Another update will be done Friday evening, and the RM will post the information on its social media sites for the public. The Manitoba government has held briefings the last two days, but hasn't yet said if it intends to hold a news conference Friday to provide an update on the wildfire situation.
Global News
25-04-2025
- Climate
- Global News
Warm, windy weather pushing wildfire risk higher across Alberta
It's warming up, windy and dry across much of the province — and one doesn't need to be a weatherperson to know what that means during spring in Alberta. That said, experts confirm heading into the weekend, conditions are ripe for wildfires. 'When the relative humidity is lower than the ambient temperature so, for example, if the temperature was 25 C and the relative humidity was below 25 per cent, that's when we would start seeing crossover conditions,' said Danielle Desjardins, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. Crossover is the point at which the relative humidity is less than or equal to the temperature and this is an indicator of extreme burning potential, according to Alberta Wildfire, which said the Slave Lake region was experiencing such conditions on Friday. It's a precarious time in Alberta's wildfire season, when a warm and/or windy day like what presented itself on Friday could lead to fires spreading out of control. Story continues below advertisement 'We need people to be very cautious in the coming days to make sure we don't inadvertently start any wildfires in these conditions,' Alberta Wildfire information officer Josee St-Onge said on Friday. 'We're early in spring and vegetation hasn't had a chance to green up; grass can carry up flames very, very easily.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We're early in spring and vegetation hasn't had a chance to green up; grass can carry up flames very, very easily." 1:57 Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village damaged in wildfire It's dry across northern Alberta, where the province said the fire danger level is high in regions near Fort McMurray, Slave Lake, High Level, Peace River and Lac La Biche. 'High temperatures are expected to continue for the coming days and may include strong winds,' Alberta Wildfire said in the update Friday for the Fort Mac area. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'It's of the utmost importance to be very careful when having a campfire or doing any burning activities. Story continues below advertisement 'In strong winds these can get out of control very quickly.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "In strong winds these can get out of control very quickly." There are no significant wildfires of note yet, and officials hope it stays that way. 'At this time last year, we had already responded to over 200 fires and they had burned over 8,000 hectares of forest. Whereas right now we're looking at about 160 wildfires that have burned 800 hectares,' St-Onge said, adding on Friday afternoon there were only 12 wildfires in the forest protection area and all are under control and not threatening communities. 'So we're in much better shape than we were at this time last year — but it's still early in the season so we're prepared for anything.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "So we're in much better shape than we were at this time last year — but it's still early in the season so we're prepared for anything." The forest protection area runs along the foothills and Rocky Mountains, and all of northern Alberta's boreal forest. It encompasses rural areas around the communities of Edson, Grande Prairie, High Level, Fort McMurray, Peace River, Slave Lake and Whitecourt. Fire advisories have also started to be issued across Alberta in the first two weeks of April, and fire bans are in place in the town of Fairview, surrounding Municipal District of Fairview No. 136, and nearby Birch Hills County. Firefighters are urging all Albertans across the province to use caution when working or enjoying the outdoors, as areas of dead grass will ignite easily, and a fire will spread quickly. Story continues below advertisement 'Once the ground is bare, since snowpack has melted, that's when we start seeing these conditions,' Desjardins concurred. 1:46 City of Edmonton sparks prescribed burn as part of wildfire mitigation efforts Desjardins said the weather gets into what is called 'extreme crossover condition territory' when the 30-30-30 rule is met. 'So if the temperature is 30 degrees or above, relative humidity is below 30 and a 30-km/h wind or greater. That's when we kind of see extreme crossover conditions.' While Alberta isn't expected to see that kind of weather this early in the spring, there will still be noticeable winds on Saturday. 'From Highway 16 north, there are likely winds in the general range of 20-40k m/h. We expect less wind for the region on Sunday,' said Global News weather specialist Phil Darlington. Story continues below advertisement It has been a very dry April so far. Current data from Environment Canada shows the Slave Lake region has received 3.8 mm of precipitation so far this month — fraction of what is normal. The region sees, on average, 23.2 mm this month. 'Alberta has seen a very dry month of April,' Desjardins confirmed. 'We are seeing those crossover conditions kind of begin to increase by mid-to-late next week.' 5:46 'It's time that we take charge and take ownership': FireSmart Alberta Whether you're out spring camping, using ATVs or burning spring cleanup yard waste, Albertans are urged to be fire smart. 'It applies, really, anytime in the spring and summer, when you're starting a fire to make sure it's under control and it's fully out before you leave it unattended so that it doesn't spread,' Desjardins said. It isn't all doom and gloom though — well, perhaps some gloomy weather. Story continues below advertisement 'Sunday is going to see more prominent rain and snow across parts of the province,' Darlington said. From Grande Prairie to Highway 16 near Hinton and Edson, a mix of rain and snow is expected to move in through the early morning, with more rain spread east along the Yellowhead highway to Lloydminster. Wildfire season is from March 1 to Oct. 31 in Alberta.
