Published on June 8, 2024 at 4:12 p.m.
Lightning is the main cause of the majority of currently active forest fires. Even if the situation is far from being comparable to that of last year, it still remains worrying. Details here.
Some risks revised downwards
Due to heavy rain in recent days, fire risks have been reduced to low levels, particularly in the west, the south and a large part of central Quebec. Unfortunately, other areas were less fortunate in terms of precipitation. Thus, the extreme risk of fire continues for a portion of the territory of northern Quebec. The dry and hot context explains why several fires remain uncontrolled. Around twenty new fires were also started by the storms of June 5, which mainly affected the north and center of the province.
When lightning targets forests
Lightning strikes hard this year. Quebec’s forests are sad witnesses to this. A scenario reminiscent of last year with a sequence of hot and dry weather, followed by storms and lightning. To date, lightning has been the main cause of 30 fires, out of a total of 173, in the intensive zone. The storms of last Wednesday June 5, with their lightning, really left their mark.
A little trip back in time
Last summer’s forest fires are still fresh in our memories. Even residents of the least affected areas of the province remember the poor air quality, the incredibly strange color that the sky took on during those days… Memories that send shivers down the spine. It is important to point out that at the moment, across the province, we are at more than 3,000 hectares burned. At this time last year, there were more than 600,000 hectares burned, in just the intensive forest fire zone. The situation remains to be monitored, since three fires are currently not under control. Moreover, the majority of the area burned this year can be attributed to these three fires.
Ideal conditions for fires
Dry weather continues to persist in northern Quebec, where very hot (and surprising) temperatures have been recorded. If wildfires had a diet, this is exactly what they would prefer to continually feed on: dry, warm weather!
With the collaboration of Kevin Cloutier, meteorologist.
