Toronto's Hazy Sky Is From The Alberta Wildfires & It Could Impact Ontario's Weather Forecast
As Alberta battles ongoing wildfires, some of its effects are being felt as far east as Ontario.
Hazy skies and smoke have descended over the province, and it may even delay the arrival of warmer weather.
The smoke from the wildfires is high in the atmosphere and is likely to cause a slight cooling effect around the Greater Toronto Area, Geoff Coulson, a meteorologist from Environment Canada, told Narcity in an interview.
\u201cGood morning!!! We had a beautiful sunrise through the wildfire smoke here in southern Ontario. #onwx #grimsbyon @TownofGrimsby https://t.co/mWm0We6HEO\u201d— Kerry LH\ud83d\udcab (@Kerry LH\ud83d\udcab) 1683717268
"The sunlight coming down, part of that is absorbed or reflected at high elevations by the forest fire smoke, so not as much sunlight reaches the surface to warm the ground," Coulson explained.
Coulson also noted that shifts in the winds could potentially move the smoke to other areas.
The effects of the smoke are already being felt, according to storm chaser Mark Robinson from The Weather Network, who posted a video of hazy skies in Guelph, Ontario, on Reddit.
"If you are sensitive to it, you may be noticing burning eyes, maybe even a tickle in your throat, maybe a little bit of coughing," he said. While the smoke is not expected to have a significant impact on air quality, it is causing discomfort for some.
Robinson also noted that the smoke is visible in places like Guelph and may impact the forecast for the week.
"It is going to make a mess of our forecast as we get later into the week, and [we can't] quite get those warm temperatures like we were expecting," he said.
Despite the impact of the smoke, the weather pattern for the Great Lakes region looks relatively quiet, with fair weather expected in the GTA, according to Coulson.
\u201cThe smoke from the Alberta wildfires has already reached Northern Ontario, and yet we still wont fully acknowledge that climate change is here and will only get worse\u201d— sam \ud83c\udf4a\ud83c\udfe1 (@sam \ud83c\udf4a\ud83c\udfe1) 1683677825
Temperatures are expected to be warmer than usual over Mother's Day weekend, with only Sunday expected to be around seasonal temperature, with the week seeing a high of 25 C and a low of 5 C.
The forecast for the next week or so is mostly sunny, with slightly above-seasonal temperatures that may drop back down, Coulson said.
While the wildfire smoke may continue to linger in the atmosphere, there is currently no significant impact on surface air quality in the GTA.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.
