Noticing more vibrant sunsets in the GTA? Here’s how wildfires out west could be the cause

Sunrises and sunsets in the GTA may be warmer in colour, more vibrant and picturesque this week, but the cause of such isn’t as beautiful below — or in this case, above — the surface: wildfire smoke.

As flames blaze across large swaths of land in Alberta, the “complex soup” of pollutants and particulate matter born out of the fires will travel a long distance in high concentrations, said Armel Castellan, a warning preparedness meteorologist with Environment Canada — the GTA being one of its stops.

The fine particulate matter, which measures 2.5 microns and smaller, is essentially invisible until there’s a large concentration of it, said Castellan. “And, of course, then it blocks the sun and so on, and makes the really interesting sunrises and sunsets (people) have been seeing in Ontario.”

While the matter has the potential to cause health effects for some, including those with pre-existing conditions or those who work outside for long periods of time, these pollutants are elevated rather than surface-level.

“They’re not actually giving you very poor air quality at the surface, but they are, without question, right overhead,” said Castellan.

Right overhead parts of the GTA, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and Lake Huron, to be exact, and it’ll be here until at least Thursday before continuing its cross-Canada trip later in the week.

Still, there’s “really no safe level of poor air quality,” but in Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes, the air quality health index remains in the low category. The only place where it isn’t low would be in Alberta — “closer to the fires, which is pretty typical.”

Wildfire smoke is travelling through the country this week

Wildfire smoke knows of no borders, said Castellan, which makes it a little less concerned with its travel plans — its expected to continue travelling thousands of kilometres across the country, and perhaps into the United States as the flames continue in Alberta.

After it travels across parts of the GTA, the smoke’s next stop will be in Ottawa on Thursday before it continues East toward Quebec and the Maritime provinces.

Why are parts of Alberta on fire?

More than 29,000 people in Alberta have been ordered to leave their homes in recent days as there are 89 active wildfires burning as of this morning, with 26 listed as out of control.

Parts of Alberta are experiencing cooler temperatures and even light rain as the province remains under a state of emergency while dozens of wildfires continue raging.

The government is warning, however, that a return to hot and dry conditions is expected and that fires can reignite even after several days of light rain. Over the weekend and into early next week, temperatures are expected to be 15 degrees above seasonal for parts of Alberta, Castellan said.

Dubbed one of the worst years for wildfires in recent memory, the latest burst of flames is part of more than 360 fires that have burnt at least 25,000 hectares of land since January, the Star reported last week.

And given unseasonably high temperatures are just beginning for the summer months, more wildfires may be waiting on the horizon.

It’s only May. What should Ontarians expect for the summer?

Wildfires are expected to continue throughout May and into June, which means a new batch of smoke may be making its way to a city near you in the coming months.

While it may not cause devastating effects in the GTA as it would out West, its presence isn’t entirely benign — no level of pollution is safe, but it may impact growing seasons, or at least the taste, of some crops grown in other parts of Canada.

As wildfires blazed across parts of British Columbia last year, wineries felt the burn as smoke tainted the taste of grapes harvested, taking a toll on that province’s $2.8 billion wine industry, with yields estimated to be down by 30 per cent in 2022.

“If the fires continue in B.C., Alberta, or pretty much anywhere in the Pacific Northwest … then eventually seeing more smoke this summer (in Ontario) is an inevitability,” said Castellan.

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