In 2023, Edmonton sees most smoke hours ever on record

In 2023, Edmonton recorded the highest fig of fume hours successful immoderate twelvemonth since Environment Canada starting tracking successful 1953.

This twelvemonth has seen 291 fume hours truthful far. That smashes the erstwhile grounds of 229 fume hours, acceptable successful 2018.

“We’ve had information successful Canada for fume visibility since astir the 1950s… and this is the top fig of fume hours we’ve ever seen successful Edmonton since these measurements person been made,” said Natalie Hasell, a informing preparedness meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Smoke hours are calculated erstwhile visibility is reduced to six statute miles oregon less.

Hasell said Edmonton volition apt person much fume hours this year.

“We’ve beaten the grounds that we had successful 2018, which was 229 fume hours, and we’re not done,” she said.

“The important portion is that this is continuing and it’s already past mid-month successful September. We don’t person immoderate crushed to judge astatine this constituent that overmuch is going to alteration immoderate clip soon.”

In 2021, Edmonton recorded 126 hours of smoke. In 2022, determination were zero fume hours.

“A zero-hour twelvemonth doesn’t mean you didn’t person smoke,” Hasell explained. “It conscionable means you didn’t person capable fume to trim visibility to six miles oregon less.”

The fume has caused a “rather ample fig for this twelvemonth — and continuing,” which Hasell says is reflective of the record-breaking wildfire play Alberta has had — and the fires inactive burning crossed the province, arsenic good arsenic B.C., Northwest Territories and bluish Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

“It has to bash with the mode fires behave and it has to bash with our low-pressure centres and high-pressure centres person been moving crossed the region,” Hasell said.

“We person galore — inactive — galore progressive fires successful Northern Alberta, Northern B.C., Northwest Territories. So immoderate clip you person upwind from the northbound oregon northwest, it volition bring fume into northcentral Alberta.”

As of Sept. 18, Alberta had recorded a record-setting 2.03-million hectares burned by wildfires in the 2023 season. Wildfire play officially lasts until October.

“The information that these fires are persisting has led to many, galore hours of mediocre aerial quality, visibility reduced and fume — repeatedly,” Hasell said.

On Sunday, Edmonton’s air prime wellness index was listed arsenic 10+ (very precocious risk). By Monday afternoon, it was a level 3 (low risk).

The highly mediocre aerial prime led to the Canada West Soccer lucifer being cancelled.

Christy Morin, enforcement manager of the Kaleido Family Arts Festival said festival organizers person been watching Edmonton’s aerial prime closely.

“We were truly acrophobic astir fume this summer,” she said connected Monday.

“We had galore meetings with antithetic festival directors and producers… It’s this adaptable that you don’t cognize if it’s going to travel successful oregon travel out, if it’s going to beryllium precocious oregon low, and what’s high? And what’s the metropolis standard? What’s manageable and what does wellness say?

“And past you person a standard that goes 1 to 10 and we tin get levels of 11 and 12, extracurricular the one-10 (range), which is simply a small confusing.”

Really atrocious fume could negatively impact a section festival, adjacent unit a cancellation, Morin said. Smoke is simply a apical of mind.

“Insurance with smoke… What happens if you person to cancel a full full festival ? It would outgo you $250,000… It could bankrupt, literally, festivals.”

Hasell says keeping a adjacent oculus connected the aerial prime and however you consciousness is important.

“Especially since you’ve been repeatedly exposed to truly mediocre aerial prime regularly now,” she said. “This is May, June, July, August and present into September.

“It’s decidedly a stressor connected the system,” Hasell said, adding it tin interaction intelligence wellness arsenic good arsenic physical.

“Symptoms of wildfire fume exposure: headaches, mild cough, accumulation of phlegm, sore, watery eyes, nose, throat, sinus irritation.

“And it tin get worse. If you commencement having dizziness, thorax pain, terrible cough, shortness of breathe, wheezing, including asthma attacks, bosom palpitations oregon an irregular heartbeat, you should beryllium seeking aesculapian attraction rather urgently.”

Canadians tin way attraction of wildfire fume by particulate size utilizing Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Fire Works map.

“We look astatine 2.5 microns, adjacent though fume is made up of particles of each sizes — big, ample fume and ash pieces to minuscule. It’s the minuscule worldly that makes it into your lungs beauteous deep. Most of the different worldly is filtered retired by your earthy system,” Hasell said.

The peculiar aerial prime connection that was successful effect for Edmonton was lifted Monday, but Hasell doesn’t expect the wide conditions to last.

“I would expect successful a mates of days, you’re going to beryllium nether the fume again, oregon dealing with the mediocre aerial prime again. It’s conscionable a impermanent break.”