Smoke from massive wildfires shrouds Canadian cities in eerie orange glow

[riversedge]

Source: accuweather




June 01, 2019
Smoke from massive wildfires shrouds Canadian cities in eerie orange glow
By Amanda Schmidt, AccuWeather staff writer


Several wildfires are raging across Alberta, a western province in Canada, spewing large amounts of smoke into the atmosphere and shrouding Canadian cities, such as Calgary and Edmonton, and even sending smoke billowing into the northern United States airspace.

While there are several fires burning throughout the province, three major fires burning in the northern half of the province are the main focus.

The Chuckegg Creek wildfire is out of control and located about 3 miles (5 kilometers) south of the town of High Level, Alberta. This particular fire is about three times the size of the city of Edmonton, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson.

Officials estimate that about 10,000 people have been forced to evacuate in and around High Level as a result of the blaze..............................................



"The combination of prolonged, unseasonably warm weather and severe drought have encouraged the rapid spread of these fires. Typically, we do not see large fires like this so early in the season," Anderson said.

.................................................................

Read more: https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/raging-wildfires-in-canada-spark-local-evacuations-cause-air-quality-concerns-into-us/70008423

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Link to tweet

"Edmonton looks like silent hill or something. Bunch of fires in Alberta right now,” Twitter user Michael Tash said on Thursday, May 30.

[Kid Berwyn]

1. More rakes!

Air tankers!

[riversedge]

4. good one!! Trump would be pleased!

[MineralMan]

2. Some of that haze has reached the Twin Cities in MN.

Odd color to the sunlight yesterday afternoon.

[riversedge]

5. There was an errie quiet just east of you yesterday. I was trying to plant a few

seeds in my mud garden but gave up.

[donkeypoofed]

3. Guess we weren't raking enough ......

It was bad yesterday, the smoke was overpowering. And its still.so early in the fire season! It's going to be one long hot and smoky summer.

[Kid Berwyn]

6. Planet is ablaze and the nation is led by a moron in the thrall of KGB.

Thank you for the kindness, riversedge! I knew you’d understand.



Yosemite on May 15, 2018

[KY_EnviroGuy]

7. CBC local article with fire map...

Military sending personnel, planes to help with Alberta wildfires
'We are now in the process of mobilizing that assistance,' public safety minister says
CBC News · Posted: May 31, 2019 9:00 AM MT | Last Updated: May 31

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/alberta-wildfire-paddle-prairie-1.5157259

(snips)

The federal government will send military personnel and aircraft to Alberta to help with evacuation efforts as the province deals with raging wildfires.

Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale told CBC News on Friday the province had that morning asked for help with the massive forest fires near the northern towns of High Level and Slave Lake.

Alberta asked for help with evacuations and medical aid, among other things, he said. "Those are very strong capabilities of the Canadian Armed Forces, and of course our answer was yes," Goodale said. "And we are now in the process of mobilizing that assistance."

Thanks for the OP, Riversedge.......

[LiberalLovinLug]

8. Alberta is the Texas of Canada

They just voted in a climate change denier Conservative premier. Who immediately cancelled the Carbon Tax initiated by the more left of center previous government. They see no link at all to increased raging wild fires which devastated a northern town previously, and climate change.

[suffragette]

9. Dry, hot spring with less snow pack in WA and B.C. too. Again. Does not bode well for summer.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/washington-drought-2019-1.5142971

The governor of Washington has declared a drought emergency for nearly half of the state.

A hot spring has led to a snowpack of less than 50 per cent of normal for this time of year, Gov. Jay Inslee said in a statement.
~~~
The drought-stricken areas of Washington are mostly along the border with British Columbia and along the coast.

https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/b-c-wildfire-service-sets-up-special-camp-as-northwest-fire-risk-soars

SMITHERS — Wildfire crews are arriving in northwestern British Columbia as drought grips the region and the fire danger soars along with the temperature.

The B.C. Wildfire Service is setting up a 150-person camp in the Dease Lake area, not in response to any specific blaze, but because the service expects potential new wildfire activity with the parched conditions.

https://vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca/experts-warn-of-potential-drought-conditions-across-vancouver-island-1.4443333

Drier-than-normal conditions have those who keep a watchful eye on water levels and snowpacks on Vancouver Island sounding the alarm.

"It's challenging for us to go through these situations" says BC Hydro spokesperson Stephen Watson. "We're setting records every year in terms of extreme wet or dry and this spring's been very dry and the summer is forecast to be warmer and dryer than normal."
~~~
"The water has not been this low this time of year in recorded memory," says Parker Jefferson of the Cowichan Lake and River Stewardship Society.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

10. Sherman, set the WABAC Machine for 2016.

GIF.....It's raining fire in Fort McMurray as citizens are trying to flee the wildfire

[The_jackalope]

11. Still too early to talk about the Climate Catastrophe?

Maybe this is another situation that calls for tots 'n pears...

[Greybnk48]

12. We had a completely grey sky on Thurs. in NE Wisconsin,

but it was not clouds. We actually had a cloudless sky. And some on Saturday. Our meteorologist told us it was smoke from the Canadian fire, and that the smoke was so high that we couldn't smell it! It was eerie, with a big orange sun in a white grey sky!

[paleotn]

13. It's been giving us hazy skies...

all the way in Vermont and upstate NY. But nothing like poor Edmonton.

[SCVDem]

14. This is California

and the other Western states coming up later this year.

No help from this administration at all. We should be outfitting out C-130s and C-17 with firefighting modules.

These fires are too big for a few Super Scoopers and helicopters along with other small numbers of assets.

Good luck Canada!