Wildfire risk raised as Alberta and B.C. brace for early heat wave

Western Canada is bracing for an unseasonable heat wave and dry spell that will raise the risk of wildfires in Alberta and British Columbia over the coming days.

University of B.C. weather and wildfire researcher Chris Rodell says the hot, dry conditions will prime forest fuels for ignition, and he’s concerned that lightning could spark fires after the heat wave eases.

Rodell says he expects instability in the atmosphere that could lead to thunderstorms and strengthen winds Tuesday or Wednesday.

The Alberta government declared a provincial state of emergency last weekend in response to fires that have forced thousands of people from their homes, and Rodell says the wildfire situation is also heating up in northeastern B.C.

Around 17,000 people remain out of their homes, which is down from Tuesday’s count of 24,000.

Rodell says temperatures in some areas look poised to exceed seasonal norms by about 10 degrees, a magnitude he described as extreme.

Environment Canada meteorologist John Cragg says there’s little to no precipitation on the horizon, save for some potential for thunderstorms in parts of Alberta before temperatures heat up heading into the weekend.

Cragg says the heat is coming from a “blocking pattern,” when the normal fluctuation of low and high pressures stops, and warm air flows into an area without the relief that usually comes from an influx of cooler northern air.

While the heat is expected to peak on Sunday or Monday, Cragg says there’s potential for the temperature-raising blocking pattern to return later next week.

The weather agency says temperatures will hit 30 C and higher in parts of Alberta already grappling with early-season wildfires.

Alberta’s wildfire dashboard shows 80 active fires Wednesday, with around 23 fires classified as “out of control,” clustered in the western half of the province.

There have been 423 wildfires in 2023, which is more than double the average in a typical wildfire season in the province.

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Christie Tucker with Alberta Wildfire says firefighters battling the widespread outbreak of wildfires have taken advantage of a couple of days of cooler temperatures and low humidity but adds the brief hiatus is about to end.

“Tomorrow, we expect low humidity and high temperatures in the northern boreal, which could make wildfires more active up there,” she told reporters in Edmonton.

“Albertans may see more smoke and activity on wildfires as it warms up towards the weekend.”

Special air quality advisories have been issued in response to wildfire smoke for most of Alberta, as well as central and northeastern B.C.

The temperature is expected to hit 31 C in Edmonton on Monday, 30 C in Peace River and 29 C in Grand Prairie.

Heat dome not expected in B.C.

The heat is expected to settle by Friday and intensify over the weekend in B.C., where there were more than 40 wildfires on Wednesday.

B.C. Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma says officials are not anticipating a heat dome like the one that killed hundreds of people in 2021.

But she says the government will be closely monitoring conditions throughout the province, as elevated temperatures can still affect vulnerable people.

Ma says heat domes are a specific meteorological phenomenon characterized by persistent high pressure that caps heat over an area for a prolonged period.

A heat dome typically keeps temperatures high overnight, something that’s not expected during the coming heat wave, she told media at the legislature.

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Environment Canada says the mercury will hit 28 C on Sunday and 30 C on Monday in Fort St. John, where a 29-square-kilometre wildfire is burning nearby.

The Peace River Regional District has issued an evacuation order for several dozen properties northwest of Fort St. John while others are on alert.

There are two other wildfires of note burning in the province, meaning they’re either highly visible or potentially threaten public safety.

The BC Wildfire Service has measured one of those fires at 59 square kilometres, spanning the boundary between B.C. and Alberta.

The other is an 11-square-kilometre blaze east of the Village of McBride, southeast of Prince George, where the temperature is expected to hit 33 C on Sunday.

The weather office says temperatures are expected to be a few degrees cooler closer to the coast, hitting 26 C in Vancouver that day and 28 C in Victoria.