Prolific smoke from Quebec fires to cloud Europe’s weekend skies
A ripping jet stream will transport Quebec’s wildfire smoke thousands of kilometres east over Europe this weekend
Copious amounts of smoke from wildfires raging throughout northern Quebec will become an international story once again this weekend when the thick plumes reach the skies over Europe.
Visit The Weather Network's wildfire hub to keep up with the latest on the active start to wildfire season across Canada.
As of Friday afternoon, more than 80 fires continued to burn across northern portions of the province. Data collected by Quebec’s SOPFEU shows a total of 470 wildfires in the province so far this year, which are collectively responsible for consuming more than 1.1 million hectares of land.
Favourable fire weather conditions have allowed wildfire activity to flourish again this week, sending renewed plumes of smoke billowing over the region.
Both the spread of ongoing fires and spark of additional fires are likely over the next couple of days in the wake of a remarkable stretch of high heat and a fresh risk for thunderstorms across the region.
A similar flare-up earlier in June sent prolific smoke blowing into southern Ontario and the eastern United States, bringing many communities in New England their worst air quality in living memory.
This time around, the smoke will blow toward the east instead of the south. We’ve already seen poor air quality across the Gaspe Peninsula and parts of Newfoundland as the smoke arrives from the west. Thick plumes will continue blowing east this weekend, traversing the Atlantic Ocean to muddy the skies over Europe.
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A powerful jet stream over northern Canada will transport smoke toward western Europe in a hurry over the next few days. Winds in parts of the jet stream are soaring along at more than 230 km/h around the cruising altitude of passenger jets, which is great news for transatlantic travellers hoping to arrive at their destinations ahead of schedule.
But the smoke is also speeding along in these roaring winds, making a beeline directly for northwestern Europe. The region will witness hazy skies aloft heading into early next week, with the thickest concentration of smoke likely to move over Great Britain and Ireland.
Most of the smoke should remain confined to high altitudes, but any smoke that manages to mix down could lead to locally reduced air quality.
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Folks throughout northwestern Europe could notice especially colourful sunrises and sunsets as a result of the smoke from Quebec.
Dense smoke high in the atmosphere scatters sunlight as our star shines low on the horizon, allowing deep oranges and reds to paint the sky. This effect is magnificent when there are high clouds present to catch and reflect the colours.
The waxing crescent moon may also appear an ominous shade of orange as it sets during the late evening hours this weekend.
