What this weekend's heat means for Alberta's wildfires

After a brief break in the summer-like weather, the heat is building once again in Alberta. 

A ridge is building in the upper levels of the atmosphere. This will keep Alberta and much of B.C. hot and dry through the weekend and into the start of next week. 

"The most intense heat for northern Alberta looks like it's probably Sunday into Monday," said Terri Lang, meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada. 

"We may see some record-breaking temperatures, but as we get further out in May, the [old] records get higher. So we'll have to just wait and see."

This latest round of heat comes as the wildfire season in the province is off to a busy start. 

Though many regions in central Alberta saw cooler temperatures and rainfall this week, northern stretches of the province were left relatively dry.

"[Getting] back into the heat and low humidities — not a good scenario coming up for this weekend unfortunately," Lang said.

Another important weather factor to watch is the wind. While we usually don't see strong winds with this particular weather pattern, it could still be a factor through the weekend.

"It is spring on the Prairies, so there always seems to be wind. And of course these fires themselves create their own weather and their own winds," she said.

The upper ridge looks to break down through next week which will also impact our winds. Storm systems are more common after these ridges, meaning that fires can move and grow. 

This week's lull in the weather has lowered the fire risk for much of the province, but forecasts show that risk will jump back to extreme levels by Sunday with the incoming heat. 

"It's going to make dry things even drier," said Mike Flannigan, the research chair for Predictive Services, Emergency Management and Fire Science at Thompson Rivers University, in Kamloops, B.C.

According to Flannigan, though the top levels of vegetation may become wet, the deeper vegetation below the surface can remain dry.

That is what we are seeing in much of Alberta, as drought conditions have continued.