Fire bans enclose Calgary area ahead of dry, warm weekend

As warm, dry weather returns to southern Alberta following days of rain and thundershowers, a fire ban is now in place for the area immediately surrounding Calgary. 

On Thursday, Rocky View County issued a fire ban for the district, which surrounds the Calgary area to the north, west and east. To the city's south, Foothills County remains under a fire advisory. 

The fire ban for Rocky View County comes as most counties in central and northern Alberta remain under fire bans. As of Friday morning, roughly 70 wildfires were burning in the province. 

Melissa Story, a provincial information officer with Alberta Wildfire, said that 20 of the wildfires were listed as out-of-control. 

Meanwhile, a number of the wildfires have prompted evacuation orders, pushing thousands of Albertans to seek emergency shelter. More than 16,000 people remain displaced, down from a high of about 31,000 earlier this month.

"We are sitting very high on the wildfire danger right now, but we could be seeing it into the extremes by Sunday," Story said. 

Fire conditions expected to worsen 

Sara Hoffman, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said Friday that a ridge of high pressure has settled over Alberta, pushing warm, dry air onto the province, particularly to the northern area.  

"Coming into the weekend, we're expecting much higher-than-normal temperatures to push into the north," she said. "So that would be temperatures around 10 to 15 degrees Celsius above normal, so we're looking at daytime highs around 28 to 30 degrees Celsius."

The unseasonably warm forecast has prompted the Meteorological Service of Canada to issue a special weather statement for northern and central Alberta, and most of British Columbia. The statement advised that temperatures could reach near record highs, leading to the possibility of heat-related illness. 

Hoffman said the statement could be upgraded this weekend to a heat warning for northern Alberta. She noted that temperatures for southern Alberta won't be as unseasonably warm. 

Need for sustained rain 

While much of Alberta was soaked by rain and thundershowers this week, Hoffman said that amid the ongoing spring green-up, vegetation dries out fast, leading to a quick return to heightened fire concerns. 

For conditions to improve, she said, it'll take prolonged and repeated days of soaking rain to ensure that forests and grasslands stay consistently wet. 

"I would encourage everyone to think twice and be extra careful about your actions over the coming weeks, because it's a huge [fire] risk right across the province, not just in the north," she said. 

Hoffman said that while large forest fires are a top concern, grass fires also pose a threat. She noted that grass fires can blaze across tinder-dry grassland as quickly as the wind blows. 

Air quality concerns

Much of northern and central Alberta are also under a special air quality statement due to wildfire smoke.

People with sensitive lungs are advised to be mindful while outdoors and to keep their windows shut so long as indoor temperatures are comfortable. 

According to Hoffman, the weekend warm up will make conditions worse. She said the ridge of high pressure will likely trap wildfire smoke over the province, leading to reduced air quality heading into next week.