Home / Weather News /

Canadian Wildfires: State of Emergency Declared, Smoke Plume Reaches Northeast U.S.

05:06 PM
May 9, 2023

Smoke plume reaches U.S.
Over 110 wildfires burn in Canada

Canadian wildfires raged over the weekend, forcing at least 30 thousand residents to evacuate and smoke to spread for thousands of miles in U.S. territory.

On Saturday, the Canadian province of Alberta declared a state of emergency as more than 110 wildfires burned across it. Nearly 1 million acres have burned, and dozens of structures have been burned since the wildfires started more than a week ago. There are currently 57 active fires burning in British Columbia and 88 wildfires burning in Alberta.

Wildfires are also affecting Canadian oil production, shutting in at least 319 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day. That’s about 4% of the country’s total production. The threat to Canada’s natural resource production has forced officials to declare a state of emergency until the situation improves.

Based on recent burn area estimates, the Alberta wildfires will go down as one of the top 10 largest wildfires in recorded Canadian history.

Fortunately, conditions have improved since the weekend, including cooler temperatures, increased humidity, and scattered showers. Firefighters have been able to reach additional wildfires that had been inaccessible due to extreme wildfire behavior. In the northern portion of the state, wildfire suppression will continue to be a challenge, according to authorities, due to lower humidity levels.

wildfire smoke

In the U.S., smoke from the large burns reached portions of the Northeast on Monday. Residents of Boston, Albany, N.Y., and other communities across New England reported unusually vibrant sunrises, which is common during episodes of heavy pollution such as smog or smoke from wildfires. The smoke plume will not cause significant air quality concerns over the next few days for the region.

Howerver, parts of the Southwest U.S. are under a greater risk of fire as dry and windy conditions build in through mid-week.

Federico Di Catarina
More on the topic
Waterspouts weatherradar.
Monday, May 26, 2025

They can be dangerous

Waterspouts possible, what are they?
Summer brings the heat and the water activities with it!
Monday, June 2, 2025

Bye, spring!

Meteorological summer is here!
High pressure and heat
Monday, June 9, 2025

Why & how does it work?

High pressure & extreme heat
All weather news
This might also interest you
Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Daily briefing

Big Plains storms
Wednesday, June 18, 2025

Daily Briefing

Stormy Midwest today
Monday, June 16, 2025

Daily briefing

Storms linger for East
All articles
Weather & Radar

www.weatherandradar.com

instagramfacebookthreadsContact uslinkList
Privacy policy | Legal info