This is a breaking news story at the time I am writing this.
Fort McMurray, Alberta is a small city in far northern Alberta. For the last few days, it’s been extremely hot and dry (like hot. Temps well north of 80, close to 90.)
And now it is on fire.
A wildfire burning in Fort McMurray city limits that has forced the largest evacuation in Alberta’s history is expected to get worse Wednesday, when winds are forecast to switch direction and increase in intensity, at speeds of 25 to 50 kilometres per hour.
You all, of course, know why. The Earth is warming. It’s warming faster in the higher latitudes than the lower latitudes. Models more or less accurately forecast this and now here we are. A Canadian city is on fire.
Please keep the people of Fort McMurray in your thoughts. It does not look likely that conditions will improve for many hours, if not days.
CBC reporting here.