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Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Climate
- Winnipeg Free Press
American weather presenters say coverage of wildfires on the Prairies has intensified
EDMONTON – Three American TV weather presenters say their viewers' appetite is soaring for information on the swaths of wildfire smoke drifting in from the Canadian Prairies. 'The smoke has really dominated our weather forecasting headlines,' says Jacob Morse, a meteorologist for KFYR-TV in Bismarck, N.D. Morse said North Dakota has been hazy all week due to smoke coming from Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where fires have been raging for more than two weeks, forcing more than 30,000 people from their homes. 'We've been talking about it constantly. We're educating viewers on where the fires are and then why the smoke comes here (and the) communities impacted,' he said. Eric Snitil, chief meteorologist for WROC-TV in Rochester, N.Y., says a few years ago, his news network had two or three smoke graphics it projected on its green screens, mainly because of wildfires elsewhere in the United States. 'Now we couldn't be building these fast enough because of Canada,' Snitil said. 'It's forcing us meteorologists to not just look out for weather in our own backyard here in New York. I find myself now looking at data for Canada and what's the fire conditions looking like many thousands of miles away.' He said the appetite from viewers has grown because smoke affects such a large number of people at one time. Bill Kardas, a chief meteorologist of WKTV in Utica, N.Y., says weather presenters across the U.S. have been ramping up their coverage of Canadian wildfire smoke since 2023. As Canadians dealt with their worst wildfire season that year, he said his state turned apocalyptically orange from the smoke. Snitil said meteorologists in New York weren't prepared. 'Most people around here never experienced anything like the 2023 wildfire smoulder,' said Kardas, a weatherman of 20 years. 'There really wasn't a lot of knowledge as to what was generating this, why is this happening, is this normal, has this ever happened before.' This year, Kardas said his viewers began to notice smoke in the air last week as blazes on the Canadian Prairies intensified. It has prevented many Americans from leaving their homes, he said. 'We're 2,000 miles away and we're feeling the effects of this,' he said. 'I can't imagine how horrible it must be to be dealing with it in proximity.' Mike Flannigan is a professor in the University of Alberta's department of renewable resources and the director of the Western Partnership for Wildland Fire Science. He said there are two main reasons why Canadian smoke is making international headlines. First is that there is more smoke and wildfires to begin with, he said. This year's fire season — the second worst since the 2023 wildfire season — has seen wildfires consume 3.7 million hectares, six times the area of Prince Edward Island. 'And there's probably more (smoke) than that because our fires today are burning more intensely and more deeply,' Flannigan said. Smoke from the flames this year has also crossed oceans and even been detected in Europe. He said people are paying attention to Canadian wildfires globally because they are more aware of the dangers of smoke as science has evolved. 'I'm a fire guy. We talk about good fire and bad fire. There's no such thing as good smoke. It's bad, bad, bad. And it's becoming more frequent,' Flannigan said. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. 'It affects IQ, it affects fetus development and of course, lungs. It's full of thousands of chemicals.' He said he hopes the global spread of Canadian wildfire smoke encourages more people to think about human-caused climate change. 'We can prevent some of these wildfires through fire bans, forest closures, education,' Flannigan said. 'If (the Earth continues) to warm, we're going to have longer fire seasons, carry more lightning and drier fields which promote fires.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2025.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
American weather presenters say coverage of wildfires on the Prairies has intensified
EDMONTON — Three American TV weather presenters say their viewers' appetite is soaring for information on the swaths of wildfire smoke drifting in from the Canadian Prairies. "The smoke has really dominated our weather forecasting headlines," says Jacob Morse, a meteorologist for KFYR-TV in Bismarck, N.D. Morse said North Dakota has been hazy all week due to smoke coming from Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where fires have been raging for more than two weeks, forcing more than 30,000 people from their homes. "We've been talking about it constantly. We're educating viewers on where the fires are and then why the smoke comes here (and the) communities impacted," he said. Eric Snitil, chief meteorologist for WROC-TV in Rochester, N.Y., says a few years ago, his news network had two or three smoke graphics it projected on its green screens, mainly because of wildfires elsewhere in the United States. "Now we couldn't be building these fast enough because of Canada," Snitil said. "It's forcing us meteorologists to not just look out for weather in our own backyard here in New York. I find myself now looking at data for Canada and what's the fire conditions looking like many thousands of miles away." He said the appetite from viewers has grown because smoke affects such a large number of people at one time. Bill Kardas, a chief meteorologist of WKTV in Utica, N.Y., says weather presenters across the U.S. have been ramping up their coverage of Canadian wildfire smoke since 2023. As Canadians dealt with their worst wildfire season that year, he said his state turned apocalyptically orange from the smoke. Snitil said meteorologists in New York weren't prepared. "Most people around here never experienced anything like the 2023 wildfire smoulder," said Kardas, a weatherman of 20 years. "There really wasn't a lot of knowledge as to what was generating this, why is this happening, is this normal, has this ever happened before." This year, Kardas said his viewers began to notice smoke in the air last week as blazes on the Canadian Prairies intensified. It has prevented many Americans from leaving their homes, he said. "We're 2,000 miles away and we're feeling the effects of this," he said. "I can't imagine how horrible it must be to be dealing with it in proximity." Mike Flannigan is a professor in the University of Alberta's department of renewable resources and the director of the Western Partnership for Wildland Fire Science. He said there are two main reasons why Canadian smoke is making international headlines. First is that there is more smoke and wildfires to begin with, he said. This year's fire season — the second worst since the 2023 wildfire season — has seen wildfires consume 3.7 million hectares, six times the area of Prince Edward Island. "And there's probably more (smoke) than that because our fires today are burning more intensely and more deeply," Flannigan said. Smoke from the flames this year has also crossed oceans and even been detected in Europe. He said people are paying attention to Canadian wildfires globally because they are more aware of the dangers of smoke as science has evolved. "I'm a fire guy. We talk about good fire and bad fire. There's no such thing as good smoke. It's bad, bad, bad. And it's becoming more frequent," Flannigan said. "It affects IQ, it affects fetus development and of course, lungs. It's full of thousands of chemicals." He said he hopes the global spread of Canadian wildfire smoke encourages more people to think about human-caused climate change. "We can prevent some of these wildfires through fire bans, forest closures, education," Flannigan said. "If (the Earth continues) to warm, we're going to have longer fire seasons, carry more lightning and drier fields which promote fires." This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2025. Fakiha Baig, The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Climate
- Hamilton Spectator
American weather presenters say coverage of wildfires on the Prairies has intensified
EDMONTON - Three American TV weather presenters say their viewers' appetite is soaring for information on the swaths of wildfire smoke drifting in from the Canadian Prairies. 'The smoke has really dominated our weather forecasting headlines,' says Jacob Morse, a meteorologist for KFYR-TV in Bismarck, N.D. Morse said North Dakota has been hazy all week due to smoke coming from Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where fires have been raging for more than two weeks, forcing more than 30,000 people from their homes. 'We've been talking about it constantly. We're educating viewers on where the fires are and then why the smoke comes here (and the) communities impacted,' he said. Eric Snitil, chief meteorologist for WROC-TV in Rochester, N.Y., says a few years ago, his news network had two or three smoke graphics it projected on its green screens, mainly because of wildfires elsewhere in the United States. 'Now we couldn't be building these fast enough because of Canada,' Snitil said. 'It's forcing us meteorologists to not just look out for weather in our own backyard here in New York. I find myself now looking at data for Canada and what's the fire conditions looking like many thousands of miles away.' He said the appetite from viewers has grown because smoke affects such a large number of people at one time. Bill Kardas, a chief meteorologist of WKTV in Utica, N.Y., says weather presenters across the U.S. have been ramping up their coverage of Canadian wildfire smoke since 2023. As Canadians dealt with their worst wildfire season that year, he said his state turned apocalyptically orange from the smoke. Snitil said meteorologists in New York weren't prepared. 'Most people around here never experienced anything like the 2023 wildfire smoulder,' said Kardas, a weatherman of 20 years. 'There really wasn't a lot of knowledge as to what was generating this, why is this happening, is this normal, has this ever happened before.' This year, Kardas said his viewers began to notice smoke in the air last week as blazes on the Canadian Prairies intensified. It has prevented many Americans from leaving their homes, he said. 'We're 2,000 miles away and we're feeling the effects of this,' he said. 'I can't imagine how horrible it must be to be dealing with it in proximity.' Mike Flannigan is a professor in the University of Alberta's department of renewable resources and the director of the Western Partnership for Wildland Fire Science. He said there are two main reasons why Canadian smoke is making international headlines. First is that there is more smoke and wildfires to begin with, he said. This year's fire season — the second worst since the 2023 wildfire season — has seen wildfires consume 3.7 million hectares, six times the area of Prince Edward Island. 'And there's probably more (smoke) than that because our fires today are burning more intensely and more deeply,' Flannigan said. Smoke from the flames this year has also crossed oceans and even been detected in Europe. He said people are paying attention to Canadian wildfires globally because they are more aware of the dangers of smoke as science has evolved. 'I'm a fire guy. We talk about good fire and bad fire. There's no such thing as good smoke. It's bad, bad, bad. And it's becoming more frequent,' Flannigan said. 'It affects IQ, it affects fetus development and of course, lungs. It's full of thousands of chemicals.' He said he hopes the global spread of Canadian wildfire smoke encourages more people to think about human-caused climate change. 'We can prevent some of these wildfires through fire bans, forest closures, education,' Flannigan said. 'If (the Earth continues) to warm, we're going to have longer fire seasons, carry more lightning and drier fields which promote fires.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Former News 8 newsman Tom Ryan remembered
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC)- News 8 is saddened to report that a beloved former member of WROC-TV passed away June 12th. Tom Ryan died peacefully early Thursday morning in Switzerland, according to his son Paul Ryan. Tom Ryan worked at WROC for about 25 years. As a reporter in the 60's and 70's Ryan covered a wide range of stories including the Mt. Vernon Church Bombing in 1971. He flew with Blue Angels and reported on their teamwork in the sky. He also participated in lighthearted interviews demonstrating his humor. Ryan embodied the classic 'old school' newsman. In a recent interview with News 8's first black reporter reminisced about the good old days working with Ryan at the building on Humboldt Street. Ryan also reportedly did a morning show with Ann Keefe and took over as news anchor after Tom Decker. In a note to News 8 his son wrote this about Ryan, He lived an amazing life and remembered it all until the very end. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
First Black WROC reporter returns to 'Set the record straight'
ROCHESTER, NY (WROC)- We've featured many firsts and legends who have walked the halls of WROC-TV throughout its 75-year history. This month, I met a first who seems to have been forgotten by some and unknown by others. Ronald Houston remembers working at WROC in the late 60's and the early 70's. Reclining in his favorite chair in his living room he chuckles as he recalls his duties. 'So, we did four hours of tv and four hours of radio.' Houston's daughter Carla Davis reached out to News 8. After we talked, she sent me her dad's resume. Ron worked seven years at WROC from 1968 to 1975 as a disc jockey, newscaster, announcer and television reporter. So, I did some digging and calling on my end. I got a range of responses from those who said 'Sure, I remember Ronnie on the news when I was growing up' to 'No, I don't think I've heard of him.' Davis says her dad always talked about his time at Channel 8 and she and others wondered why his name didn't appear in stories and accounts of Rochester's first black broadcasters. But she explained her dad wasn't the type of man who would make a fuss about it. When I met him a couple days later, he said as much. 'Well, a lot of people have asked me, and they say we watch Black History Month every February and how come we've never seen you.' Houston explained. 'Well, you know I don't like to toot my own horn or nothing.' However, he did agree to as he calls it, 'set the record straight'. He shared stories about interviews with track star Jesse Owens, comedian Bill Cosby and others. When we met, I showed him some of the videos we pulled from our archives including an interview he did with Howard Coles, Rochester's first Black radio broadcaster and pioneer in journalism. ' Mr. Coles was quite a gentleman. A staunch Frederick Douglass supporter.' Houston explained. He also remembers his colleagues, 'Anne Keefe, Bob Mills and Don Fischer who became the sports reporter. I was friends with them.' Shortly after WROC was sold to a new company Houston says he was fired. 'They didn't tell me why. They gave me a letter of recommendation.' He says he holds no ill will. He went on to work in the entertainment business for a while. But he says being the first Black broadcaster on WROC was the best job he had. 'It was an accomplishment for me. It was something I wanted to do all my life.' At 89, Ron loves a good game of Poker, Karaoke and spending time with his family and friends. Before this Black History Month ended, we invite him back to WROC-TV. Moving forward we will speak his name and share the story of Ronald Houston, a first in Rochester and a source of pride for the African American community. Extended version: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
