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
'Do not drive': Nissan warns Canadian drivers of explosion risk impacting 48,000 vehicles
Car manufacturer Nissan has issued a do-not-drive warning for some older vehicles equipped with Takata airbag inflators, due to the risk of explosion during a crash.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
'Scandals and secrets': On board the world's most exclusive private residential ship
It’s a floating city exclusively home to the 1 per cent, a playground for multimillionaires and billionaires that circumnavigates the world's oceans.
What weather experts say to expect this summer in Canada
Get ready to feel the heat, Canada. Weather experts are predicting more sunshine and warmer temperatures for the summer.
Canada announces $11B for military aircraft training
Canada has announced an $11.2-billion contract to improve training platforms for the military, including the purchase of 70 training aircraft for the Future Aircrew Training program.
CNN Exclusive: A federal grand jury may soon hear from Sean 'Diddy' Combs' accusers
Federal investigators are preparing to bring accusers of music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs before a federal grand jury, two sources familiar with the probe tell CNN — signaling the U.S. Justice Department is moving toward potentially seeking an indictment of Combs.
In bizarre provocation, North Korea flies trash, manure balloons over the South
North Korea flew hundreds of balloons carrying trash and manure toward South Korea in one of its most bizarre provocations against its rival in years, prompting the South’s military to mobilize chemical and explosive response teams to recover objects and debris in different parts of the country.
Jury begins deliberating in Trump's hush money case, weighing verdict in first criminal trial of a former U.S. president
Jurors in Donald Trump's hush money trial begin deliberations Wednesday after receiving instructions from the judge on the law and the factors they may consider as they strive to reach a verdict in the first criminal case against a former American president.