NEXT Weather Investigates: Summer of Smoke
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As Canadian wildfires continue to proliferate and rage this summer, investigative reporter Jonah Kaplan and photojournalist Mike Durenberger traveled to Manitoba – the source of some of the wildfire smoke affecting Minnesota – to give you a first-hand look at the problem.
The devastating fires in Canada have been creating hazy skies in Minnesota and Wisconsin. We've had several air quality alerts issued this summer. Our skylines, thick with pollution, have been slow to clear.
Climate change front and center as Canadian wildfires keep on burning
Mess with the delicate balance of Mother Nature and there are dangerous consequences.
That sentiment has been ever apparent in the Canadian province of Alberta - home of the Canadian Rockies - which recorded several days of 80-90 degree temperatures in April.
"This year, in April, what we were looking at was day after day of the kind of temperatures we would see in an August heat wave," Christie Tucker, Alberta Wildlife Officer, told WCCO News. "We had dead and dry grass and trees, and we didn't have green leaves yet. We were dry across the province in April and much hotter than usual and those winds are what can make the difference when the fire starts and puts itself out and one that blows up to become an enormous wildfire."
Indeed, there are several enormous wildfires currently raging in Alberta, and several more burning across the nation; more than 5,000 wildfires have been reported since May, tearing through at least 30 million acres.
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The Minnesotans helping keep Canada's wildfires at bay
Dozens of Minnesotans are heading to Canada to help contain the historic wildfire season, which of course is also affecting Minnesotans.
Canada cannot do this alone – no country can. More than 5,000 wildfires raging in three months, a combined 30 million acres burned. That's more than half the size of Minnesota.
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Protecting yourself and loved ones from wildfire pollution
The 49th parallel, along the border between the United States and Canada, is an arbitrary line.
Whether you're in Minneapolis or Winnipeg, it doesn't matter to the smoke which knows no borders and billows over, polluting our air and making for a historic, if not uncomfortable summer.
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Canadian meteorologists adjust to forecasting smoke clouds as wildfires rage
More than 5,000 wildfires have raged across the country since May, tearing throw at least 30 million acres of forest.
Tens of thousands of Canadians have been displaced from their homes because of the flames, while the mountainous plumes of smoke continue to pollute large swaths of North America, including Minnesota and Wisconsin.
To help bring answers to what's happening – and why – WCCO News traveled to Canada to spend several days north of the border and was among the very first American news operations to get inside access to firefighting operations.
[Click here to read more.]
WCCO visits Canada's hub of operations as nation battles 5,000 wildfires
The country known as "The Great White North" is also known for being green, as Canada is home to nearly 10% of the world's forests.
Those same forests, however, are now the fuel to what is perhaps the most intense wildfire season in the nation's history, if not the most significant wildfire crisis around the globe. More than 5,000 fires have raged since May across Canada, tearing through at least 29 million acres of land – and counting.
Tens of thousands of Canadians have been displaced from their homes because of the flames, while the mountainous plumes of smoke continue to pollute large swaths of North America, including Minnesota and Wisconsin.
[Click here to read more.]
We've reached a new record for air quality alerts, and more are expected before fall arrives
Two hours north of Winnipeg, a fresh fire has started. Manitoba authorities say the whole area was actually on fire a month ago. And what's burning right now are just reeds -- not even trees.
So the crews right now, as stretched thin as they are, say their only option is to watch and to wait. That's because the real danger is if the fire spreads from a river bank into a nearby forest.
This is the 200th wildfire in Manitoba this season. There have been 4,200 across the entirety of Canada.
Those in the United States know what happens with all this smoke because we see it and we breathe it as well.
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Talking Points: The health risks from Minnesota's hazy skies
On June 14, the Twin Cities had the worst air quality in the nation and the worst ever recorded here. Minnesotans with breathing conditions, children and teens and anyone outside for long periods of time were at risk due to the poor air quality conditions.
RELATED: Minneapolis' worst air quality day was equivalent to smoking half pack of cigarettes
People in those groups were encouraged to minimize or avoid physical exertion outside, and avoid air pollution sources like fires and traffic.
Two factors are combining to create our poor air quality. First, wildfires fed by dry conditions, worsened by climate change. The second, ozone pollution from human sources like gas engines and factories.
[Click here to see the full report.]
