CLIMATE CHANGE-CANADA – TELAM Agency
The sudden onset of abnormally high temperatures, which in some places were 10 degrees above normal in early May, triggered flooding in western Canada as well as dozens of fires, forcing thousands of people to evacuate, according to officially reported today.
Western and central Canada, where much of the country’s agricultural area is concentrated, is currently suffering from “abnormally dry” or even “severely dry” conditions in some places, according to the latest government reports.
In Alberta, the province hardest hit by the wildfires, there were more than 70 active fires, many of them out of control, putting some 13,000 residents under evacuation orders, according to authorities.
The main fire at Fox Lake, in the north of the province, covers almost 1,500 hectares and has already consumed a small community of about 20 homes, the AFP news agency specified.
British Columbia, on the Pacific coast, has seen several fires raging inland, while the southern part of the province is threatened by rapid snowmelt that has raised river levels.
“Several days of unusually warm temperatures caused rapid snowmelt and high water flows across much of inland British Columbia, with severe flooding in some areas,” Canadian authorities said.
And he added: “Serious flooding is possible, and extreme flooding to historic levels is plausible, in areas that receive heavy rainfall in addition to rapid snowmelt,” they added, noting that “maximum river levels are expected between Saturday and Monday.”
In recent years, western Canada has been affected by extreme weather events, the intensity and frequency of which have increased due to global warming.
In addition to catastrophic flooding, British Columbia was also hit by a “historic” heat wave two years ago, which killed hundreds of people and was followed by massive fires.
Source: Ambito
