Achi news desk-
By May 7, 2023, Alberta had declared a state of emergency due to wildfires in the province.
More than 29,000 people had been forced from 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 Alberta’s wildfire protection area. 25 of those fires are carried over from 2023. None of the fires are classified as out of control.
There are no evacuations or emergency warnings in place, and many parts of the state are experiencing rainy conditions.
Although it seems like an obvious comparison, experts urge Albertans not to be complacent.
“The precipitation definitely provides us with short-term relief. But we experienced drought-like conditions for months, and it’s going to take sustained and significant rain to overcome those conditions and reduce the fire danger, ” Alberta Wildfire’s Kai Bowering told CTV News on Tuesday.
“When there is rain, the risk of fire is lower, which means that wildfires are much less likely to start.”
Bowring said not all parts of Alberta are experiencing the precipitation seen in Edmonton and Calgary on Tuesday.
“The Grande Prairie forest area has not received as much precipitation as other areas of the state. So their fire danger is higher.”
CTV News Edmonton meteorologist Josh Classen agrees.
“Almost everyone has seen more than up to this point in the year last year. But there is still a good part of the province that is well below the average for precipitation in the last 180 days,” he said.
Rain in the Edmonton area on May 7, 2024. (Evan Klippenstein/CTV News Edmonton)
“That area is still below the average in and around Edmonton or further north and through the Wlad Heddwch. Yes, you’ve had more than last year, but you’re still very dry compared to the average.”
Classen says there is no specific precipitation that will improve the wildfire forecast.
“If each week progresses, we can get a day or two where you get a good solid day of rain, that will really help the areas that get it. But like today’s rain, there’s not much of it hits this northwest corner of the state where they could really use it.”
He says conditions are expected to change later this week as well.
“In the next five, seven days it doesn’t look like a ton of precipitation is coming. It’s going to get hot towards the end of this week. It’s going to be pretty dry. We’re still in the it’s spring so it’s going to be windy.
“So we’re probably back to where we started, you know, we’re dealing again with some grass fires and some wild fires.”
With files from Amanda Anderson of CTV News Edmonton
