Canada Braces for Intense Wildfire Season as Drought and High Temperatures Persist
Drought conditions and above-normal temperatures are expected to contribute to abnormally intense wildfires across Canada throughout July and into August, according to the federal government. During a technical briefing, Michael Norton, Director General of the Northern Forestry Centre at Natural Resources Canada, highlighted that drought is a significant factor affecting all provinces and territories, with some regions experiencing intensifying conditions. The forecast of continued above-normal temperatures across most of the country suggests that many areas will witness above-average fire activity.
In July, the risk of wildfires is expected to increase due to warm and dry conditions spanning from British Columbia and Yukon to western Labrador. Although fire risk is predicted to slightly diminish in August, it will still extend from British Columbia to western Quebec.
To date, Canada has already experienced an unprecedented wildfire season, marked by numerous new records. On June 27, the country surpassed its historic record for the total area burned by wildfires in a single season. As of Thursday, approximately 8.8 million hectares (88,000 square kilometers) have been burned, nearly 11 times the 10-year average by this point in the season. The previous record of 7.6 million hectares (76,000 square kilometers) was set in 1989, with the 10-year average being 805,196 hectares (8,051.96 square kilometers).
Similar stories
Comments are closed.