Smoky skies back in Alberta as wildfires spread
CBC
Just as the last vestiges of winter gave way to a few days of warm weather, smoke has clouded Alberta's skies, bringing with it a foreboding memory of summers past, as wildfires continue to burn in the northern parts of the province.
Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued 321 air quality alerts, spanning the province from High Level to Milk River. Alberta Wildfire is reporting 50 active wildfires as of 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, with two currently classified as out-of-control.
One, near Fort McMurray, tripled in size overnight to extend its reach to about 5,500 hectares. The other, burning in Grande Prairie County in northwestern Alberta, had grown to about 1,400 hectares as of 1 p.m. Sunday.
Heather Rombough, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said the Edmonton area, Grande Prairie and Peace River are currently experiencing the worst air-quality conditions.
Smoke is moving slowly eastward, said Rombough, and should continue to move in that direction overnight on Sunday. Areas along the western edge of the smoke area, in the foothills, will see improvements in conditions first, she added.
While much of the province should see skies beginning to clear by Monday night, conditions in the northernmost areas of Alberta will continue to be poor through at least Tuesday, said Rombough.
With little precipitation expected in the coming forecast, Rombough said people close to areas where wildfires are burning should continue to pay attention to information from local authorities about potential evacuations.
WATCH | Fires around Grande Prairie push people from their homes:
Rombough said that it's no longer uncommon to see wildfires burning so early in the season, based on observations over the last five to 10 years.
"The continuation of some of the significant fires from last year could have contributed to seeing such flare-ups so early," she said.
"It does seem like this is the trend that we're heading toward. It lines up with the science, the research that's being done on climate change and that sort of thing. I mean, every year is going to be different, so it's hard to really predict. But it does seem to be becoming more of what the new normal is."
Jose Cano, who drove to Calgary from Edmonton on Saturday, said the smoke and the wildfires are to be expected after such a dry winter.
"The smoke ... it's become kind of our life now. Every year its getting worse and this year I guess [it's earlier] than before," said Cano.
Still, Cano said the conditions have dampened his trip.
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