DENVER – The smoke in eastern Colorado is choking and most of us now know it is from massive wildfires in central and northern Canada.
But how did wildfires start in Canada in mid-May and how did the smoke get as far as Colorado?
As you might have guessed, the wildfires, most of which broke out in early May, started during what was an exceptionally warm and windy stretch for the region.
Temperatures in Fort McMurray, Alberta — a city much closer to the Arctic Circle than Denver — hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit on May 4. according to Environment Canada. A little further south, Edmonton, Alberta, temperatures reached 87 degrees that same week, smashing all possible records.
Photo credit: KUSA
For comparison: Denver has not yet reached 87 degrees this spring.
Temperatures in both Alberta cities again hit the 80s on Sunday and Monday of this week, continuing an exceptionally hot and dry May in that part of Canada.
It was windy there too. have winds Gusts in excess of 30 mph (about 50 kilometers per hour) were regular occurrences in Fort McMurray this month.which will likely only fuel the flames.
This has led to huge wildfires that have already burned over a million hectares of land and it seems they continue to get mostly out of control.
Smoke from these systems continues to flow south into the lower 48, impacting air quality from coast to coast.
In addition, the Rocky Mountains act as a de facto wall, stopping and containing smoke from wildfires. In the Denver area, the Palmer Divide to our south also acts as another (smaller) wall, partially blocking smoke from moving farther south.
In order for the smoke to get out of the Denver area, you usually need a westerly or southerly wind to drive the smoke off the mountains.
We should see a more westerly wind shift on Wednesday and that should help reduce the smoke build up somewhat later this week.
Photo credit: 9NEWS
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