firefighters, support personnel, and equipment to support Canada as they respond to record wildfires – events that are intensifying because of the climate crisis," he said in a tweet.Īnd forecasts hold little hope.
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and pointed to climate change as a driver of the fires. President Biden sent firefighters from the U.S. The country is currently at "national preparedness level 5," meaning Canada has fully committed all its national resources to mobilize the fight against the fires.Ĭhris Stockdale, a wildland fire research officer with the Canadian Forest service, told CBS News last month that as part of that "level 5" declaration, "international liaison officers" from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are flying in to help fight the fires. Harsh weather conditions are fueling these fast-spreading fires, making them extremely difficult to combat. Why are the Canadian wildfires out of control? Elsewhere in the country, these fires have been human-caused in various ways from discarded cigarette butts to sparks from passing trains. In Quebec, for example, fires were sparked by lightning, but officials in Alberta have said that the cause of fires there is currently unknown. So the warmer it gets as the climate heats up, the more triggers there are for fires to burn," said Struzik. A one-degree Celsius increase in temperature amounts to about 12% more lightning. "Most fires in the boreal forest of northern Canada are started by lightning. What might seem like slight increases in average temperatures have major consequences. In a normal season, half of Canada's wildfires are started by lightning, but those fires account for more than 85% of wildfire destruction. That's one reason why we see hot, dry weather systems stall, allowing heat domes to build and set the stage for fire," he said.Īccording to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System, the destruction from these fires up to this point in the season has been 13 times worse than the 10-year average.ĭry, hot weather also breeds more lightning.
"Now that the Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the world, the jet stream is weaker, a little wonkier.
It's getting weaker, he said, because its strength depends on the temperature differences between the Arctic and the south. Struzik said the jet stream, which creates weather and moves it from west to east, also contributes to the fires. According to the Canada Drought Monitor, all 10 provinces are experiencing abnormal dryness, moderate or severe drought. In the Canadian prairies of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba - where fires now rage - drought has hit particularly hard. It tied California's Death Valley as the hottest place in North America that day. In 2021, Canada experienced its hottest day ever when Lytton, British Columbia hit 49.6 degrees Celsius, 121 degrees Fahrenheit, smashing the previous record of 113 degrees.
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