Canadians are in for an autumn with higher-than-average extreme weather events like wildfires and more serious named storms, government of Canada scientists said in a briefing Monday.
Scientists told reporters that the wildfire season could last well into September, which is unusual since a normal wildfire season in Canada is expected to wrap up by the end of August.
Environment Canada meteorologist Sebastien Chouinard said Canada will also see an above-normal hurricane season, with 17-24 named storms expected to hit Canada by the end of the year. The 30-year average is 14 named storms a year, he said. Most of these storms are expected to largely affect the Atlantic provinces and Quebec.
Of these named storms in 2024, three are expected to be category 3 to 5 hurricanes.
“Recent studies show that climate change likely has an impact on the increase in the number of major category 3 to 5 hurricanes, while at the same time demonstrating that peak winds are becoming more intense,” Chouinard said.
Public Safety Canada officials said there were currently 474 active fires burning across Canada. Of these, 167 are out-of-control fires, including the fire currently active in Jasper, Alta.
“There are a number of out-of-control fires, fires being held and fires under control. All have gone up recently, incrementally due to the recent heat events we’ve continued to see in the West,” Deryck Trehearne of Public Safety Canada said.
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Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan said wildfires are “top of mind this year for everyone” right now, but that “we are also in the thick of hurricane season.”
He said Canadians should have emergency kits and a family emergency plan prepared. Sajjan said there were 700 international firefighters from Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, the United States, Costa Rica and South Africa helping Canada fight fires.
More than 600 of them are currently in Alberta.
Officials said much of Western Canada will be under wildfire risk in August, with “above normal” fire activity anticipated from British Columbia to Manitoba.
“For August, the predominant area of anticipated activity includes Yukon, Northwest Territories, British Columbia, Alberta and parts of Saskatchewan, approaching the border with Manitoba,” Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson told reporters on Monday.
The wildfire activity is expected to continue “well into September,” scientists said.
“This is notable because historically the active burning season typically winds down towards the end of August and ending in early September. However, this forecast anticipates above the low fire activity could extend well into September, especially across the southern portions of western Canada,” Julienne Morissette, director of wildland fire research at Natural Resources Canada, said.
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Morissette said 2024 has already exceeded the 25-year average of area burnt in wildfires at 3.4 million hectares so far.
Rural Economic Development Minister Gudie Hutchings said flooding had already affected rural infrastructure in Ontario and Quebec.
“We saw significant power disruptions in Quebec. Road closures and flooding in Quebec and Ontario, and significant rainfall in Quebec and here at home in western Newfoundland,” she said.
Jenica Atwin, parliamentary secretary to the minister of Indigenous Services, said First Nations communities were disproportionately affected.
“As of Aug. 11 this season, wildfires have impacted 74 First Nations communities across the country. Right now, 29 communities are currently impacted. This has resulted in the evacuation of 21 First Nation communities since the spring,” she said.
Wilkinson said politicians must start by accepting the “]scientific reality of climate change and taking thoughtful, impactful actions to address it.”
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