Much-needed rain falling in parts of dry Alberta, but warm, windy conditions in the forecast
By May 7, 2023, Alberta had declared a state of emergency as a result of wildfires in the province.
More than 29,000 people had been forced out of their homes and 108 active wildfires were burning with 31 fires burning out of control.
Flash forward exactly one year.
There are 38 active wildfires burning in the wildfire protection area of Alberta. Twenty-five of those fires are carryovers from 2023. None of the fires are classified as out of control.
There are no evacuations or emergency alerts in place, and many parts of the province are experiencing rainy conditions.
While it seems like a stark comparison, experts are urging Albertans not to become complacent.
"The precipitation definitely provides short term relief for us. But we did experience drought-like conditions for months, and it is going to take continued and significant rain in order to overcome those conditions and lower the fire danger," Kai Bowering of Alberta Wildfire told CTV News on Tuesday.
"When there is rain, the fire danger is lower, which means that it's much less likely for a wildfire to start."
Bowring said that not all parts of Alberta are experiencing the precipitation seen in Edmonton and Calgary on Tuesday.
"The Grande Prairie forest area hasn't received as much precipitation as other areas of the province. So their fire danger is higher."
CTV News Edmonton meteorologist Josh Classen agrees.
"Almost everybody has seen more than up to this point in the year last year. But there's still a good chunk of the province that is well below average for precipitation in the last 180 days," he commented.
Rain in the Edmonton-area on May 7, 2024. (Evan Klippenstein/CTV News Edmonton)
"That area is still below average in and around Edmonton here or further to the north and through the Peace Country. Yes, you've had more than last year, but you're still really dry compared to average."
Classen says there's no set amount of precipitation that will improve the wildfire outlook.
"If every week moving forward, we can get a day or two where you get a good solid day of rain, that'll really help for the areas that get it. But like today's rainfall, there's not a lot of it that's hitting this northwest corner of the province where they could really use it."
He says conditions are also expected to change later this week.
"In the next five, seven days it doesn't look like there's a ton of precipitation coming. It's going to get hot towards the end of this week. It's going to be pretty dry. We're still in spring so it's going to be windy.
"So we're probably back into a situation where we're starting to, you know, we're dealing again with some grass fires and some wildfires."
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Amanda Anderson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NDP wants Liberals to scrap proposed election date change that could secure pensions for many MPs
The federal New Democrats want to amend the Liberal government's electoral reform legislation to scrap the proposal to push back the vote by a week and consequently secure pensions for dozens of MPs, CTV News has learned.
Drive one of these vehicles? You may pay 37 per cent more than average insurance costs due to thefts
As the number of auto theft incidents rises in Canada, so have insurance premiums for drivers, even the ones whose vehicles aren't stolen.
Doug Ford suggests immigrants behind Jewish school shooting
Ontario Premier Doug Ford suggested immigrants are to blame for the shooting of an empty Jewish school in Toronto over the weekend, despite police saying they have little information on the suspects.
Supreme Court won't hear appeal in Montreal brainwashing experiments case
The Supreme Court of Canada will not review a Quebec ruling that bars people from suing the U.S. government in Canada over its role in notorious brainwashing experiments at a Montreal psychiatric hospital.
Donald Trump can sue niece over NY Times article, court rules
A New York state appeals court said Donald Trump can sue his niece Mary Trump for giving the New York Times information for its Pulitzer Prize-winning 2018 probe into his finances and his alleged effort to avoid taxes.
Shania Twain shares how she forgave her ex-husband's cheating: 'It's his mistake'
Shania Twain recently addressed the infidelity that rocked her marriage to Robert 'Mutt' Lange, whom she divorced in 2010 after he had an affair with her friend, Marie-Anne Thiébaud.
Teen pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of homeless man in downtown Toronto
One of eight teen girls charged in the death of a homeless man in downtown Toronto has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Princess of Wales to miss major military display next month amid cancer treatment
Catherine, Princess of Wales, will not be returning to royal duties with an appearance at the Colonel’s Review, a military parade in London in early June, as she continues her treatment for cancer.
Police arrest 19-year-old suspect after Montreal triple homicide
Police have made an arrest following a deadly street fight that ended with three people killed in Montreal's Plateau-Mont-Royal borough last week.