Current:Home > MyRain may soon help put out flames in Canada's worst recorded wildfire season -QuantumFunds
Rain may soon help put out flames in Canada's worst recorded wildfire season
View
Date:2025-04-25 21:33:33
Rain in the forecast could soon offer some respite for those in eastern Canada dealing with wildfires by helping firefighters quench the flames and clearing some of the particles that are making the air smoky and hazardous.
The question for Gerald Cheng, the warning preparedness meteorologist at Environment and Climate Change Canada, is whether the rain will be enough. In a media availability on Saturday morning, he said rainfall is expected in southwest Quebec on Sunday night, whereas fires further north in Quebec aren't set to see rain until Tuesday.
It'll be about 10 to 20 millimeters — less than an inch — of water. The impact it will have on the fires will depend on the size of the blaze, which could grow before the rain.
However, with the rain comes the possibility of lightning sparking more fires.
A return to poorer air quality is always a possibility, Cheng said. The thick orange haze that dominated New York City on Wednesday is caused by a high concentration of fine particles. The key factors for the intensity of these toxic particulates are the severity of the wildfire producing them and wind, which can help disperse them.
Smoke is still moving south into the United States, he said, and winds will drive smoke into northeast Ontario on Monday.
On Friday night, the Alberta Emergency Alert system instructed some residents of Yellowhead County and the town of Edson to evacuate, describing the fires as "becoming increasingly unpredictable."
Rain is also forecast for Alberta on Sunday.
As of Saturday afternoon, the government of Alberta reported 75 active wildfires in the province. Quebec's government says it has 133 active forest fires, 72 of which are considered out of control.
Canada's fire season extends from May through October, but these fires are abnormally prolific for this time of year. The country is on track to have its worst wildfire season on record, according to the U.S. National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. Quebec has reported 446 fires this year. Over the last 10 years, the average number of fires for this same date is 212.
"The images that we have seen so far this season are some of the most severe we have ever witnessed in Canada," Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said in a press conference earlier in June. "The current forecast for the next few months indicates the potential for continued higher-than-normal fire activity."
Firefighters from the U.S., France, Spain and Portugal have agreed to join the effort to control Canada's wildfires.
veryGood! (2479)
Related
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- How a Brazilian activist stood up to mining giants to protect her ancestral rainforest
- President Donald Trump’s Climate Change Record Has Been a Boon for Oil Companies, and a Threat to the Planet
- NASCAR jet dryer ready to help speed up I-95 opening in Philadelphia
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- How Pruitt’s New ‘Secret Science’ Policy Could Further Undermine Air Pollution Rules
- Supreme Court rules against Navajo Nation in legal fight over water rights
- Afghan evacuee child with terminal illness dies while in federal U.S. custody
- Stamford Road collision sends motorcyclist flying; driver arrested
- Wildfire smoke is blanketing much of the U.S. Here's how to protect yourself
Ranking
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- In Australia’s Burning Forests, Signs We’ve Passed a Global Warming Tipping Point
- Gun deaths hit their highest level ever in 2021, with 1 person dead every 11 minutes
- In Wildfire’s Wake, Another Threat: Drinking Water Contamination
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- For many, a 'natural death' may be preferable to enduring CPR
- Yes, the big news is Trump. Test your knowledge of everything else in NPR's news quiz
- Senate 2020: In Kansas, a Democratic Climate Hawk Closes in on a Republican Climate Skeptic
Recommendation
DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
Senate 2020: In Kansas, a Democratic Climate Hawk Closes in on a Republican Climate Skeptic
Inside Harry Styles' Special Bond With Stevie Nicks
Senate 2020: In South Carolina, Graham Styles Himself as a Climate Champion, but Has Little to Show
Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace
'All Wigged Out' is about fighting cancer with humor and humanity
Vanderpump Rules' Tom Sandoval Doesn’t Want to Hear the Criticism—About His White Nail Polish
Why Jana Kramer's Relationship With Coach Allan Russell Is Different From Her Past Ones