Fire, Fire - A Little 'Local' Climate News

The weather is changing everywhere. It's no surprise, and we are all, unfortunately, affected. Last year was the hottest in recorded history; every month achieved a new high. This year is already breaking that new record and may continue to do so.

I was surprised, but not too surprised considering what it was like last year, to read that there are forest fires raging in Canada right now. When I was a kid and a young adult this basically never happened in May, at least that I can remember.

What's caused the fires? Well, in BC high winds brought down a tree onto electric lines, and there was lightning, and they have no idea what's caused the fires in Alberta. Experts say the causes of fires in Canada are usually either lightning or human related. And the experts admit climate change is part of that: 'Warming temperatures in particularly dry regions of Canada, like the north-west provinces, can make those areas "more vulnerable and likely to have fires occur"' (from the BBC article linked above).

Smoke and flames by the Okanogan Lake in northern BC, from this article on the BBC.