European Heat Wave

I know quite a few people that have this: https://www.alpinehomeair.com/categ...NZ-wsZkv8MZwagyTFdN1mSYWxA9ALMJRoCTr8QAvD_BwE

It's more efficient but not perfect. We were in Whitehorse NWT in June, and it was warmer there than at home. They are surrounded by trees (lots of fires up there right now) and mountains. The smoke is starting to drift south so it looks to be another smokey summer. I feel for those of you who don't have a/c or good cross ventilation and green spaces. There are still people who don't believe in climate change. Sad.
 
The air quality never changed in Ottawa because it ended up raining the other day and reversed to a 2 .. it has remained the same for now. So it is a yellow code.

Heat/air conditioning pumps are very expensive too.
 
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ballettmaus said:
Based on what I read, Toronto passed the baton to Chicago on Thursday.

And lawmakers from Michigan are fed up. I can't find the article anymore but, apparently, Canada made cuts to preventative measures and hasn't reinvested despite assurances. If true, I find that incredibly irresponsible. Wildfire smoke isn't just a health hazard but each fire adds to global warming and makes climate change worse which means the fires will only get worse.
Click to expand...
There isn’t a lot of preventative measures you can do with climate change. There is also a ton of fires in the u.s. too.
 
ballettmaus said:
Based on what I read, Toronto passed the baton to Chicago on Thursday.

And lawmakers from Michigan are fed up. I can't find the article anymore but, apparently, Canada made cuts to preventative measures and hasn't reinvested despite assurances. If true, I find that incredibly irresponsible. Wildfire smoke isn't just a health hazard but each fire adds to global warming and makes climate change worse which means the fires will only get worse.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure where that information is coming from?

There was millions of dollars of investments made last year.

Canada Announces Major Investments to Improve Resilience Against Wildfires - Canada.ca

Today, the Governments of Canada, British Columbia, Alberta, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Manitoba, together with the CIFFC, announced a total investment of $104 million through the Government of Canada’s Resilient Communities through FireSmart (RCF)...
www.canada.ca www.canada.ca
 
skategal said:
I'm not sure where that information is coming from?
Click to expand...
It was alleged by the members of Congress. I've also seen on social media (from posters who claim to be Canadians) that forest staff has been cut by 60% since the 70s and 50% of the budget have been cut in total but I don't know since when.

Judy said:
There isn’t a lot of preventative measures you can do with climate change. There is also a ton of fires in the u.s. too.
Click to expand...
What I read alleged that they're not doing controlled burns anymore/doing fewer controlled burns, and generally, there's less forest management.

Overall, I think in times of climate change, you want to increase and not decrease these measures and an investment after a decrease likely means that there's a long way to go to reach the level seen before the decrease.

On an insane side note - the 4th of July fireworks created the same air quality in DC that DC had overnight due to triple-digit wildfires. I think the harmful effect of fireworks couldn't be more obvious and I don't know why more countries don't ban private fireworks (since each firework is a contributor) and don't make a bigger push for drone shows.
 
Our next door neighbor lives in the Bay Area and he and his family come up here to stay in their vacation home several times a year. He's up here right now for a week and we asked him where his family was and he said they were vacationing in Europe this week. Yikes! They picked a bad time to be there when the weather is cool yet sunny and pretty much glorious here. :p
 
ballettmaus said:
It was alleged by the members of Congress. I've also seen on social media (from posters who claim to be Canadians) that forest staff has been cut by 60% since the 70s and 50% of the budget have been cut in total but I don't know since when.
Click to expand...
And how would they know? I doubt they read reputable sources. And I'm basing that on how ignorant the US was to do with our softwood lumber industry and crown land.
ballettmaus said:
What I read alleged that they're not doing controlled burns anymore/doing fewer controlled burns, and generally, there's less forest management.

Overall, I think in times of climate change, you want to increase and not decrease these measures and an investment after a decrease likely means that there's a long way to go to reach the level seen before the decrease.

On an insane side note - the 4th of July fireworks created the same air quality in DC that DC had overnight due to triple-digit wildfires. I think the harmful effect of fireworks couldn't be more obvious and I don't know why more countries don't ban private fireworks (since each firework is a contributor) and don't make a bigger push for drone shows.
Click to expand...
There has been less snow, glaciers have melted. You don't do controlled burns when you don't have dependable water sources to help keep them under control. afaik they still haven't found anything to combat the beetles that have killed a lot of trees that contributed to our fire hazard, nor can we rake our forests. ;) Climate change isn't just about one thing. It's a whole bunch of things that turn into a fcuking disaster. We're there. Add to that a ton of people, some of whom are politicians who don't believe in climate change. And here we are.
 
pat c said:
And how would they know? I doubt they read reputable sources. And I'm basing that on how ignorant the US was to do with our softwood lumber industry and crown land.

There has been less snow, glaciers have melted. You don't do controlled burns when you don't have dependable water sources to help keep them under control. afaik they still haven't found anything to combat the beetles that have killed a lot of trees that contributed to our fire hazard, nor can we rake our forests. ;) Climate change isn't just about one thing. It's a whole bunch of things that turn into a fcuking disaster. We're there. Add to that a ton of people, some of whom are politicians who don't believe in climate change. And here we are.
Click to expand...
All of this plus I’ve read that the winds are the real issue not the fires. We’ve had wildfires for decades but the smoke doesn’t usually blow so far south. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Also how do you control burn in areas that can’t even be reached by humans? Which is alot of the North American Boreal Forest?
 
skategal said:
All of this plus I’ve read that the winds are the real issue not the fires. We’ve had wildfires for decades but the smoke doesn’t usually blow so far south. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Also how do you control burn in areas that can’t even be reached by humans? Which is alot of the North American Boreal Forest?
Click to expand...
This is the reason why … Jet Stream Transport: Once elevated, the smoke particles are caught in prevailing wind currents and the jet stream. This allows smoke to travel hundreds or thousands of miles across state and international lines in a matter of day

Basically it is the wind etc.
 
pat c said:
And how would they know? I doubt they read reputable sources. And I'm basing that on how ignorant the US was to do with our softwood lumber industry and crown land.

There has been less snow, glaciers have melted. You don't do controlled burns when you don't have dependable water sources to help keep them under control. afaik they still haven't found anything to combat the beetles that have killed a lot of trees that contributed to our fire hazard, nor can we rake our forests. ;) Climate change isn't just about one thing. It's a whole bunch of things that turn into a fcuking disaster. We're there. Add to that a ton of people, some of whom are politicians who don't believe in climate change. And here we are.
Click to expand...
Just to add to this it's also a wild thing to claim when you consider most of that stuff is run by the provinces, not the federal government. It's not like the Canadian government just decided that they were going to torch the forest up there, leading to one First Nation to be completely burned down and several others to be under threat of being destroyed. Doug Ford could have done more ahead of this that is true, but he's also right (and it kills me to admit that) when he said that since Canadian fire fighters have helped the Americans on numerous occasions when it comes to fighting fires in the States, instead of complaining about how the smoke is affecting them, maybe they should send some fire fighters up here to help.

There's also a lot of people on social media who are pretending to be Canadian. I notice it on Twitter the most because I don't go outside of my circle on Facebook, though there are definitely people on Facebook pretending to be Canadians too, some of which are spreading the agenda of Alberta separation. I don't 100% trust people I don't know on Facebook or Twitter anymore when they say they're Canadian.
 
The vast majority of active wildfires in Ontario are burning across Northwestern and Northeastern Ontario, and yes, many of these places are extremely remote and fly-in-only communities. Provincial officials report roughly 190 active fires across Northern Ontario, with over half classified as completely out of control due to extreme heat and strong winds. I copied that btw.
 
‘Like a sauna’: London tube travellers swelter in temperatures higher than legal limit for cattle

The tube cannot easily be adapted to cope with heatwaves, making conditions almost unbearable

London’s underground isn’t adapted for the 30C+ heatwaves that have hit the city over the last few summers. Lines such as the Victoria line – the deepest on the network – and the Bakerloo line – which TfL says has some of the oldest trains in passenger use anywhere in the country – are particularly bad when it comes to withstanding the heat.

Sharmin, a barista at the Pret a Manger stationed by the barriers at King’s Cross St Pancras, says she has seen people faint in and around the station. She finds the heat so oppressive that she has asked to go home early during some of her shifts this week. She wonders why there are no coolers or industrial fans set up near Pret or the barriers. “I’ve felt like I was going to faint,” she says.
Click to expand...

On my recent visit to England, there were warnings not to take trains or the Underground and to travel by coach or bus instead. I took coaches to get from Heathrow to Oxford and then to London. I wound up taking just two round trips on the District/Circle lines, which are close to street level and even above ground in parts of West London. One of these was to go from where I was staying in the Strand out to Kew. I took a single round trip on the Paris Metro, going from the Marais to Boulogne-Billancourt. I did a lot of walking, drinking plenty of water and keeping in as much shade as I could.

Some shops in Oxford and Paris closed early or completely due to the extreme heat. Late in the evening, people sat outside rather than sweltering in their homes.

Europe is reaching -- or has already reached -- the point where much of its infrastructure is not fit for purpose anymore
 
ballettmaus said:
Based on what I read, Toronto passed the baton to Chicago on Thursday.

And lawmakers from Michigan are fed up. I can't find the article anymore but, apparently, Canada made cuts to preventative measures and hasn't reinvested despite assurances. If true, I find that incredibly irresponsible. Wildfire smoke isn't just a health hazard but each fire adds to global warming and makes climate change worse which means the fires will only get worse.
Click to expand...
Your comment is not true re these fires. The remoteness of the majority of these fires make it very difficult if not impossible to "manage." Fires in these areas can be managed by First Nations but these communities can only manage what is in their area. Yes, there is always room for improvement but I suggest the politicians in the US who are making such broad statements really do not understand what they are talking about which is not surprising given the players right now.

The real culprit is global warming which is on all of us.

Another comment I will make is the constant blame game that Trump likes to use to make himself look good but actually makes him look even worse than normal (if that is even possible). Instead of spending all his time blaming, why not reach out and help solve the problem...................hey, just like Canada always does when the USA has emergencies..........remember the California fires to name a few..........sending our water bombers and crews south etc

Whenever there is an emergency, the first focus should be on solving the immediate problems and priorities - saving lives, property and the environment. After an emergency is contained and is in a clean up phase, a follow up review to identify areas of improvement is great but pointing the finger never solves anything. It only creates bad feelings and impedes solving the actual problem and misses identifying the actual root cause and opportunity for improvement.

The exception would be if a person purposefully started a fire or something similar.
 
Winnipeg said:
Your comment is not true re these fires. The remoteness of the majority of these fires make it very difficult if not impossible to "manage." Fires in these areas can be managed by First Nations but these communities can only manage what is in their area. Yes, there is always room for improvement but I suggest the politicians in the US who are making such broad statements really do not understand what they are talking about which is not surprising given the players right now.

The real culprit is global warming which is on all of us.

Another comment I will make is the constant blame game that Trump likes to use to make himself look good but actually makes him look even worse than normal (if that is even possible). Instead of spending all his time blaming, why not reach out and help solve the problem...................hey, just like Canada always does when the USA has emergencies..........remember the California fires to name a few..........sending our water bombers and crews south etc

Whenever there is an emergency, the first focus should be on solving the immediate problems and priorities - saving lives, property and the environment. After an emergency is contained and is in a clean up phase, a follow up review to identify areas of improvement is great but pointing the finger never solves anything. It only creates bad feelings and impedes solving the actual problem and misses identifying the actual root cause and opportunity for improvement.

The exception would be if a person purposefully started a fire or something similar.
Click to expand...
We should be raking and cleaning the forest grounds .. especially when no human can reach them 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️😝😆🤣.
 
globalnews.ca

How do wildfires create lightning, pyro tornadoes and thunderstorms? - National | Globalnews.ca

The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre states that there are 919 active wildfires in Canada, with 3,891 total year-to-date wildfires.
globalnews.ca globalnews.ca


“In a wildfire, so much heat is being generated that you can actually trigger an updraft and that updraft can actually then trigger a condensation of water vapour in the atmosphere, which then leads to these pyrocumulonimbus clouds.”

Lightning​

As a result of these thunderstorms, lightning strikes are likely to occur, according to Moore.

Fires generate a lot of wind, so in a way they create more fire as it goes along. My heart goes out to the people who have lost everything and the animals who have nowhere to go. As always, the whiners get none.
 
Judy said:
We should be raking and cleaning the forest grounds .. especially when no human can reach them 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️😝😆🤣.
Click to expand...
Do you have any idea how much territory this would need to cover? I am talking remote forest fires.........I have flown for over 2 hours heading north in MB and only saw tree tops the entire way. Think about the practicality of raking such an area.

Get real. :huh: I assume you were kidding.

If you are talking about forest growth near settlements, then okay but for a vast amount of territory..........not feasible.
 
Winnipeg said:
Do you have any idea how much territory this would need to cover? I am talking remote forest fires.........I have flown for over 2 hours heading north in MB and only saw tree tops the entire way. Think about the practicality of raking such an area.

Get real. :huh: I assume you were kidding.

If you are talking about forest growth near settlements, then okay but for a vast amount of territory..........not feasible.
Click to expand...
I was quoting the u.s. president 😝😝😝 Of course I wasn’t serious.
 
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Buzz said:
www.bbc.com

France evacuates 20,000 as wildfires spread in south-west

Most of those evacuated were tourists from campsites around Arcachon Bay in France's Gironde region.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
Click to expand...
In Gironde (large region of the South-West) it's now over 200.000 persons who have been moved from their home or holiday places. Entire villages and small towns have been evacuated. Displaced people are sheltered into public sports arenas or other large public buildings, just to be moved again hours laters as wildfires gain ground. 300 houses were turned down to ashes. These wildfires are now threatening to reach Bordeaux. Bordeaux and suburbs = over 1 million inhabitants. 15.000 businesses and industries are closed. We don't have enough firefighters nor equipments to fight such gigantic wildfire as it has never happened to that extent before. Firefighters and scooper bombardiers from all Europe are coming to the rescue. And still the monster fires gain ground. The smoke and smell spread 300 kms away.

There are also serious wildfires in other part of France including in the Northern Alps where I live, which is totally unheard of. We are about to suffer a 4th heatwave from tomorrow on, the first was at the end of May. It had never happened before either. As a result we are experiencing severe drough. Everything is dry, hence highly flamable. The temps in my corner of the woods (litteraly speaking, I live in a spruce forest) already reached 40 Celsius degrees in June and 43 two weeks ago. It went up to 46 in some big cities. And here we go again tomorrow. That certainly will not help with wildfires.

These kind a major fires are sometimes caused by humans' oversights, barbecues, cigarettes butts, fireworks, sparkles but are also spontaneous: Lightning without rain, reflection of the sun on shiny surfaces. But they are usually contained rapidly. Now with the excessive heat, the fires are self-nourishing, pine cones and the trunk of resinous trees explode like bombs up to 50 meters in the air. The wind carries the flames away immediately. Huge clouds of smoke make a lid over the pine forests and increase the heat. It's a vicious circle. And there is absolutely NO RAIN expected before at least 2 weeks. It's a major disaster like we had never ever seen in the country.
 
cholla said:
In Gironde (large region of the South-West) it's now over 200.000 persons who have been moved from their home or holiday places. Entire villages and small towns have been evacuated. Displaced people are sheltered into public sports arenas or other large public buildings, just to be moved again hours laters as wildfires gain ground. 300 houses were turned down to ashes. These wildfires are now threatening to reach Bordeaux. Bordeaux and suburbs = over 1 million inhabitants. 15.000 businesses and industries are closed. We don't have enough firefighters nor equipments to fight such gigantic wildfire as it has never happened to that extent before. Firefighters and scooper bombardiers from all Europe are coming to the rescue. And still the monster fires gain ground. The smoke and smell spread 300 kms away.

There are also serious wildfires in other part of France including in the Northern Alps where I live, which is totally unheard of. We are about to suffer a 4th heatwave from tomorrow on, the first was at the end of May. It had never happened before either. As a result we are experiencing severe drough. Everything is dry, hence highly flamable. The temps in my corner of the woods (litteraly speaking, I live in a spruce forest) already reached 40 Celsius degrees in June and 43 two weeks ago. It went up to 46 in some big cities. And here we go again tomorrow. That certainly will not help with wildfires.

These kind a major fires are sometimes caused by humans' oversights, barbecues, cigarettes butts, fireworks, sparkles but are also spontaneous: Lightning without rain, reflection of the sun on shiny surfaces. But they are usually contained rapidly. Now with the excessive heat, the fires are self-nourishing, pine cones and the trunk of resinous trees explode like bombs up to 50 meters in the air. The wind carries the flames away immediately. Huge clouds of smoke make a lid over the pine forests and increase the heat. It's a vicious circle. And there is absolutely NO RAIN expected before at least 2 weeks. It's a major disaster like we had never ever seen in the country.
Click to expand...
I’m so sorry to hear about the fires in France and Spain - living in California I am familiar with wildfires creating their own weather. Prayers for all who are in danger!
 
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