Alberta's early May heat the perfect recipe for wildfires
CBC
The Prairies Climate Change Project is a joint initiative between CBC Edmonton and CBC Saskatchewan that focuses on weather and our changing climate. Meteorologist Christy Climenhaga brings her expert voice to the conversation to help explain weather phenomena and climate change and how they impact everyday life.
After the cooler than normal start to spring in much of Alberta, the heat has been turned up to kick off May.
Temperatures climbed into the mid to high 20s across the province on Monday, with both Edmonton and Calgary setting new temperature records.
A ridge in the upper levels of the atmosphere has pushed this warmer than normal weather into Alberta and parts of the B.C. interior this week, and looks to last at least until the weekend.
"A big omega block has formed over Western Canada," said Terri Lang, meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.
Named for the jet stream's likeness to the Greek letter omega (Ω), these blocking ridges lock weather in place, leading to extended periods of hot and dry conditions.
"The Prairies are pretty much blocked from getting precipitation under this pattern," Lang said
"Underneath a high pressure system like this, the air sinks. And when air is forced to sink, it warms. So we're getting extra warmth."
According to Lang, Alberta shouldn't expect any precipitation moving in until the weekend, when the ridge may start to break down.
"When these upper ridges break down we usually get … some wind, some precipitation and a lot cooler air. But not all of the models are agreeing on the ridge breakdown [timing] quite yet."
Although omega blocks and early spring heat are not unprecedented, Lang said this extent of record-breaking heat does stand out.
"This is sort of a very rare event for it to be occurring this early in the season, and just a little bit of that weather whiplash too."
In Alberta, spring wildfires are particularly dangerous, can spread rapidly, and are often human caused.
"May is the busiest for Alberta," said Mike Flannigan in an interview with Edmonton AM on Monday.
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running Game
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing Game
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic Game
The latest disintegration of a SpaceX test flight was a spectacular sight, as broken-up rocket parts streaked like jellyfish tendrils across the Caribbean sky on Thursday evening.
When Kate Gammon and her family fled their Santa Monica, Calif., home during the recent wildfires, she wasn't sure what they would find when they returned.
Berens River First Nation in Manitoba is grieving the loss of the community's arena in a fire on Thursday.
Pompeii, the ancient Roman city buried by ash and lava in AD 79, has unearthed a new treasure — a private bathhouse built 2,000 years ago, decorated with sumptuous mosaics and equipped with a series of hot, warm and cold rooms in the manner of a spa.
One of NASA's two stuck astronauts got a much welcomed change of scenery Thursday, stepping out on her first spacewalk since arriving at the International Space Station more than seven months ago.
This story is part of Welcome to Canada, a CBC News series about immigration told through the eyes of the people who have experienced it.
Canada has told a First Nations child advocate it will not negotiate in line with Assembly of First Nations (AFN) resolutions rejecting a $47.8-billion proposal to reform the on-reserve child welfare system, according to a recently released letter.
Some of the visuals coming out of Los Angeles County over the past week are ones we expect with wildfires: dramatic flames, orange skies and damaged structures.
WARNING: This story contains details of abuse of children at residential schools
Major medical groups are proposing a change to how doctors diagnose obesity.
The Métis National Council is getting its day in court.
Dwarf planet Pluto and our Earth are the only two worlds in our solar system with very large moons. These may have come about by a "kiss and capture" process, which preserves a moon's large size.
Los Angeles is already infamous for poor air quality. But the fires scorching the area now are sending up plumes of black smoke that pose threats to human health beyond that of standard wildfires.
There has never been more focus on who is Indigenous and who is not as more people seek answers about their ancestry.
Experts and parents are sounding the alarm about non-medical anabolic steroid use as posts glorifying it grow on social media.
Imagine this: you're gently awoken by the dulcet tones of your personal assistant just as you're nearing the end of your final sleep cycle.
Today, six climate agencies from around the world all confirmed what we knew was coming: Earth once again experienced its hottest year on record.
This story is part of CBC Health's Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven't subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here.