2023-06-09 16:22:08
Kanada is on fire: In all provinces and territories of the country – with the exception of Prince Edward Island and Nunavut – large-scale fires are blazing. Most active wildfires, 137 as of Thursday, are burning in Quebec. The National Ocean and Atmosphere Agency (NOAA) satellites are currently monitoring more than 400 fires across Canada. Hot and dry weather has triggered the unusually early and intense start of the wildfire season. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has already described this year’s wildfire season as the country’s worst.
This year alone, 2,200 fires have destroyed more than 32,800 square kilometers of the Canadian wilderness – that corresponds to an area almost thirteen times the size of Saarland. A comparison with the ten-year average for this time of year illustrates the intensity of this year’s season: on average, an area of 2500 square kilometers burns in Canada at this time of year, which is roughly the size of Saarland.
Forest fires in Canada
Satellite images from June 7th
After the early May fires in Alberta and British Columbia caused a smoky haze that swept across New England and as far away as Nova Scotia, thicker smoke reached the eastern and central parts of the US this week. The triggers are the fires in Ontario and Quebec. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, more than 100 million people in the northeastern United States are on smoke alert. This also envelops the metropolis New York into a dense, orange-colored fog.
According to the NOAA Aerosol Watch, on June 6 the smoke caused a historic “code red” in air quality in New York, eastern Pennsylvania and western Connecticut – meaning the air is safe for vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly and those with disabilities Asthma, heart and other lung diseases are considered unhealthy. Some parts of New York even applied “code purple”, which indicates the air quality is very unhealthy.
Spread of the soot cloud over Canada and the USA
Animation from June 3rd to 8th
In eastern Canada, 14,000 residents in areas of Quebec have already been asked to leave their homes. In 2023 alone, they have Burnt around 120,000 people have been forced to flee temporarily in six provinces and territories. 26,000 people have still not been able to return to their homes.
But why is the smoke moving to the United States? NOAA meteorologist Brian Jackson explains that the smoke forms between distinct high and low pressure areas, and this combination of conditions literally fuels the flames and drives the smoke south.
The non-profit organization SOPFEU warns Canadians that more fires are out of control than can be fought at the same time. The authorities therefore concentrated on protecting residential areas and strategically important infrastructure. Canada, meanwhile, has asked for help from the US and the EU. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced immediate support: France, Portugal and Spain are sending 280 firefighters to the disaster area.
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