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Toronto Star
06-06-2025
- Climate
- Toronto Star
Toronto air quality at ‘very high risk' due to wildfire smoke — and is currently among the worst in the world
Toronto and the surrounding areas have been issued a special air quality statement as smoke from the wildfires in Manitoba and Saskatchewan blow over southern Ontario on Friday. Environment Canada has assigned Toronto a 10+ on the local air quality health index, which means it is 'very high risk.' The city is also currently among the major cities with the worst air quality in the world, according to air quality technology company IQAir, which placed Toronto near the top of its ranking on Friday. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW By midday, Toronto climbed to second place with an air quality index score of 170. The company calculates regional scores based on measurements of pollutants in the air, noting the main pollutant choking Toronto's skies was fine particulate matter, also known as PM2.5. Environment Canada's special weather statement covers areas from Windsor to Ottawa, including parts of the Greater Toronto Area such as York, Peel and Durham regions. As the smoke drifts into the province, Environment Canada is asking people to limit how much time they spend outside because, as smoke levels increase, so do the associated health risks. The smoke is expected to spread across the Toronto area in the afternoon and evening before starting to lighten up around 10 p.m., according to FireSmoke Canada's forecast website. More smoke is forecasted to creep into Toronto by noon on Saturday. The smoke is expected to spread across the Toronto area Friday before starting to lighten up around 10 p.m., according to FireSmoke Canada's forecast website. FireSmoke Canada Gta Toronto is experiencing hazy skies due to wildfire smoke. What can you do to protect yourself? Asma Sahebzada Aside from local smoke, Environment Canada forecasts Friday will be a mix of sun and cloud with a high of 24 C. The UV index will be 8, which is very high. At night, temperatures will cool to a low of 15 C with partial clouds. The smoke could cause mild symptoms such as headaches, a mild cough or eye, nose and throat irritation. More serious effects such as wheezing, chest pains or a severe cough are also possible and anyone who might be experiencing a medical emergency should try to get medical help immediately. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Gta Hazy with a chance of ash? What wildfire season means for Toronto's air quality For urbanites, there's a new way to mark the calendar: the day the smoke reaches the city. Some groups are more likely to be affected by the outdoor air pollution, such as those in their mid-60s or older, pregnant people, infants, young children, those who are immunocompromised and anyone who works outdoors. Environment Canada is warning everyone to limit the amount of time they spend outside and consider reducing or rescheduling strenuous outdoor activities like sports. The city is offering six 'cleaner air spaces' equipped with high-efficiency filtration systems, open to Torontonians during wildfire smoke events. Here are the locations of the sites: Metro Hall between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays North York Civic Centre open between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. on weekdays and between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekends City Hall between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays York Civic Centre between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays East York Civic Centre between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays Scarborough Civic Centre between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays While inside, people should keep windows and doors closed as much as possible to protect indoor air from wildfire smoke. If it comes down to choosing between avoiding smoky air or staying cool during an extreme heat event, the weather agency says people should prioritize keeping cool.
CTV News
04-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Why has the sun been red in Waterloo Region lately?
People in the Waterloo Region area may have noticed the sun looked bright red as it hung low in the sky this week. While the phenomenon offers a fantastic opportunity for photos, the truth is the rouge tinge stems from the wildfires out west. Blood red sunrises and sunsets are often due to wildfire smoke that has travelled thousands of kilometers. The colour can last for days, depending on the size of the fires. Smoke from Manitoba and Saskatchewan has been billowing across the country, and is even causing concerns in Europe. The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service said smoke it making its way across the ocean. 'Several satellites have observed long-range transport across the Atlantic, with smoke reaching as far as Europe. An initial plume at high altitude crossed the Mediterranean region on 18-19 May with reports of the smoke reaching Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean. A second, much larger, smoke plume crossed the Atlantic during the last week of May, reaching northwestern parts of Europe on 1 June. Additional plumes are expected to reach the continent in the upcoming days,' the service said in a news release on Tuesday. Wildfires are also blazing in parts of northwestern Ontario, contributing to the spectacle in Waterloo Region. FireSmoke Canada, a service that monitors wildfire and smoke, shows the smoke may continue to plague the Greater Toronto Area through to Thursday.
CTV News
04-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Will the wildfire smoke from western Canada impact Toronto? Here's what to know
An image of Toronto's skyline taken at around 5 p.m. on June 3. (CP24 Chopper) The smoke emanating from the forest fires burning across Canada's prairies may be visible in parts of the Greater Toronto Area this week. There are fires blazing across parts of northwestern Ontario and the Prairies, heading as far west as northern British Columbia, prompting hundreds of people to leave behind their homes and evacuate to another province. Environment Canada issued several advisories and warnings across four provinces—so will this impact Toronto and the GTA? What is forecast for Toronto? Environment Canada meteorologist Barbara Lapido tells CTV News Toronto that many people across southern Ontario might see some hazy skies and red-hued sunrises and sunsets for the next couple of days. FireSmoke Canada, a portal monitoring wildfire and its smoke patterns, also forecasts plumes from the ongoing fires will billow over the GTA through Thursday. 'Some of that smoke (from the forest fires), it's being kind of transported into southern Ontario, but it's not affecting the surface in southern Ontario,' Lapido said, which is why there are no air quality advisories or warnings in place for this region. Northern Ontario bears the brunt of the wildfire smoke, according to the director of the Southern Ontario Centre for Atmospheric Aerosol Research. 'It's improved since (Monday night) but it's still, I would say, six to eight times higher than it is in Toronto, the level of particles in the air,' Greg Evans said. These microscopic particles—formally called particulate matter—is part of what determines the level of smoke or pollution in the air, subsequently impacting the air quality health index (AQHI). 'When there's a high concentration of them, they scatter the light and so you get this haze that you can see and, once you start seeing that haze, means the concentrations are pretty high,' Evans said. At around 3 p.m. on Tuesday, the AQHI in Thunder Bay hovered at a seven—a high risk—but hours later it dwindled to a five, a moderate risk (which is exactly what downtown Toronto's index was seeing by 5 p.m.) [ READ MORE: How air quality is measured when wildfire smoke rolls inOpens in new window ] 'There's a level at the moment in Thunder Bay of 60 micrograms per (cubic metre) of particular matter, 2.5, which is the pollutant that we worry about for wildfires,' Evans told CTV News Toronto early Tuesday afternoon. 'It was over 400 overnight (…) that's like 40 times the average in Toronto.' What could the summer look like? Associate professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Jeff Brook, thinks what is being seen now with the wildfires is 'an indicator of the potential concern ongoing in the summer.' 'I know that the summer predictions are for there to be considerable heat and dryness in western Canada, and so that means that it's going to be a constant battle to deal with fires and the way the atmosphere moves things,' Brook said. 'We can expect on and off milky skies and periodic bursts of particles on the ground.' While it's too soon to tell how this will play out this summer, Brook says wildfires are becoming more frequent due to the warming climate—something climatologist Tanzina Mohsin echoes as well. 'We must not consider this as an isolated anomaly with fire events, but we should take this as a stark warning of the new normal that Canadian provinces may face without any urgent actions on climate change, mitigation and adaptation,' Mohsin said. As fires continue to burn, more carbon gets released into the air, further aggravating the existent problems with climate change—and it is something that will stick around for at least a decade, Evans says. 'The carbon we have in our atmosphere is there for about 40 years, so we're still seeing the impacts now (of) the carbon we released decades ago,' Evans said. 'Even if we do take drastic steps to decarbonize, it's going to take decades for the existing CO₂ in the air to flow to the oceans.' Decarbonization would require stopping the release of carbon that rises to the atmosphere, which can be done by burning less fossil fuels, Evans adds. How does wildfire smoke travel? The energy that emanates from wildfires can push the fine particles high enough into the Earth's atmosphere and into the jet stream, Jeff Brook, an associate professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, says. 'The intensity of the fires out in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, have been able to do that,' Brook said, pointing to how Canada's wildfire smoke has crossed the Atlantic toward Europe. The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) tracked Canadian smoke plumes all the way to Greece and the eastern Mediterranean in mid-May, with more billowing across Europe in the coming days. As for how smoke travels closer to the ground, Brook could not predict exactly where it will go, as it is weather dependent. 'I would expect Quebec, you know, three years, two years ago, sent quite a bit of it near the ground in Ontario and that's not much further than northwest Ontario,' Brook said. 'So, there's certainly the potential it's going to reach the ground at times in the GTA too.' [ READ MORE: Wildfire smoke from Quebec, northern Ontario lingers in K-WOpens in new window ] While it's hard to forecast how the prairies' wildfire smoke will continue to impact neighbouring regions over the next few weeks, Evans says it will depend on which way the wind blows, which is largely dependent on the direction of the jet stream—a narrow current of air in the upper levels of the atmosphere. One benefit for Toronto and southern Ontario, Evan notes, is that spring weather started later this season. 'We've had rainy weather, colder weather in southern Ontario, and that's because we're on the northern side of the jet stream whereas out west, they've had some very hot weather,' Evans explained. 'So, the drawback of having this late spring has actually been beneficial for us in terms of avoiding plumes.' What AQHI levels should I be concerned about? When the AQHI reaches a moderate risk level, Lapido says people with pre-existent health conditions, pregnant people, seniors and toddlers may want to start taking some precautions. Some people can be prone to an asthma attack, Evans said, or in more severe cases, a heart attack. 'And when it ticks into the red (a high risk), that's when we have our warning usually or a statement, and that's when (…) the public in general should start paying attention also to these conditions,' the Environment Canada meteorologist said. Lapido advises avoiding exercise and spending more time indoors with the windows closed when the AQHI gets too high. There are also long-term impacts of inhaling high amounts of particulate matter from wildfire smoke, should it remain in the air for some time, Evans notes. 'The long-term effects are numerous. It's both cardiac—so the vulnerability to heart attacks, vulnerability to stroke, vulnerability to respiratory problems,' Evans said. 'More recently, there's been connections made to reproductive health, cognitive development, neurological health, cancer—it's right across the board.' With files from AFP
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Smoke from Canadian wildfires worsens air quality in Dakotas, Midwestern states
Smoke from raging Canadian wildfires is once again worsening air quality in some U.S. states. Parts of the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and other states were all experiencing levels of smoke particulates in the air deemed between moderate and unhealthy the morning of May 31, according to the national air quality map from Forecasters in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, said the smoke is expected to continue its track south through the Plains states. The smoke is pouring in from blazes in Canada, including in the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, where authorities said a combination of rising temperatures, winds and low humidity has spread active fires to thousands of acres. At least 17,000 people have been forced to evacuate. Midwestern states including Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan are expected to feel the impacts of the smoke, which will cut across the central part of the country and reach parts of the East Coast later in the day, according to forecasters at FireSmoke Canada. The impacted regions were also among those in the Northeast, Midwest and Plains that experienced unhealthy air quality in the summer of 2023 due to smoke from out-of-control fires in Canada at the time. Then, skylines in several major cities were blanketed by an orange haze and air quality was abysmal for millions of Americans. Minnesotans began to feel the impact from the Canadian wildfires on May 29, and authorities across the Midwest have issued air quality alerts. Periods of smoke will persist through at least June 2, the National Weather Service in the Twin Cities, Minnesota said. An air quality alert was issued for the entire state of Minnesota through June 2, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said. People in sensitive groups such as those with lung disease or asthma, children and the elderly were cautioned that they could experience adverse health effects from the smoke. Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources on May 30 issued an air quality advisory that expired after 24 hours on May 31, but warned that smoke impacts could persist beyond then and extend the advisory in some areas. If air quality worsens in your area due to wildfire smoke, it's a good idea to limit time outdoors, experts say. The small particles in wildfire smoke can cause burning eyes, runny nose, scratchy throat and can affect the heart and lungs, making it harder to breathe. It can also cause headaches and bronchitis. Avoid physical exertion, including indoors, if air quality becomes unhealthy. While inside, keep windows and doors shut. Leave off any air conditioning or fan systems that pull air from outside, and use air filters or air purifiers. If you can't buy a commercial portable air filter, you can create your own. One example is the Corsi-Rosenthal box made from simple materials of an air filter, box fan and duct tape. If you must go outside, you should wear a high-quality, well-fitting N95 or P100 respirator mask to protect yourself. Keep your trips outside short. You should also watch out for your pets when air quality is bad because they can't wear a respirator mask to protect themselves, but still may need to go outside. Keep their bathroom trips outside short, and watch out for signs of distress such as red or watery eyes and nose, coughing or gagging and increased respiratory rate. You can monitor air quality in your area at Contributing: Taylor Ardrey and Michael Loria, USA TODAY This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Canada wildfires 2025: Smoke impacts US air quality
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Canada wildfires create heavy smoke that's expected to reach the US: See photos
The heavy smoke from the active wildfires in Canada is expected to hit parts of the United States. Rising heat, winds, and dry air sparked blazes in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, according to the country's Department of Natural Resources. Residents in the United States are expected to face poor air quality from the fires as soon as May 30. The fires have burned hundreds of thousands of acres in both provinces and resulted in the evacuation of at least 17,000 people, in what officials are calling "a very serious situation." Smoke from the blazes is expected to fall heavily over Midwestern states, including Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan, and cut across the country to reach the Carolinas by May 31, according to FireSmoke Canada, a team of forecasters at the University of British Columbia. Natural Diasters: Photos show Swiss village buried in debris after glacier collapse Authorities in Minnesota, which began to feel the impact of the blazes on May 29, warned of unhealthy levels of exposure to fine particles from the wildfires. Symptoms include everything from shortness of breath to heart attack and stroke. Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Canada wildfires 2025: See photos of heavy smoke
