Smoke is pouring into Montana from the wildfires in Edmonton, Alberta.

[MontanaMama]

My city of Missoula is surrounded by mountains on every side and I can't see any of them at the moment. Air quality is B A D. Fires of this magnitude in May for pete's sake!!

Alberta had 91 wildfires burning Wednesday morning, with 27 of them considered to be out of control.

The planet is mad. We're not even into summer yet.

https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/air-quality-poor-in-edmonton-as-wildfires-burn-across-alberta-1.6402209

[flying_wahini]

1. Guess all those rich ranchers Repugs in Montana gonna figure out they can't run away

from global warming. Even in the North and in their own kingdom.


We ARE ALL CONNECTED.

[MontanaMama]

6. Not gonna lie...

I am hoping the influx of Texans (no offense intended to TX DUers!!) into Montana will think twice about staying. Long hard winters and smoke season now starts in May apparently instead of August.

We are indeed all connected.

[Bev54]

2. It was here in Calgary yesterday and again today. so you will likely still have it tomorrow.

They said it would clear today but not so far.

[Croney]

5. My sister-in-law in Calgary posted this picture,

taken yesterday at noon. (She didn't take it.)

[Hortensis]

19. Oh, my. I remember that all too well from SoCal and from Nevada

when California's smoke filled the valley we looked down on. Also driving L.A. freeways with adjacent hillsides burning on one and both sides, not terribly common but commuters learned to just keep commuting.

(So that's what Calgary looks like now! Just a tad different from 40-50 years ago.)

[MontanaMama]

27. That's awful.

So many people in the north country don't have air conditioning to help keep indoor air clean. This makes me incredibly sad.

[MontanaMama]

7. My weather app says thungerstorms are predicted

with gusty winds later today. I hope it clears out....but I realize if it leaves here someone else will have to deal with it. This is just crazy for this time of year.

[Bev54]

44. We had high winds yesterday and was hoping that would clean it out - no rain

but it is just as bad today.

[roamer65]

3. El Nino is just getting started.

Gonna be one helluva climate ride coming.

[MontanaMama]

9. You're not kidding.

Mother Nature is NOT playing.

[roamer65]

13. She isn't.

We are now almost halfway to the CO2e levels of the Late Cretaceous Thermal Maximum.

If I remember reading right, during that period there were no polar ice caps and temps were about 5C higher on average than now.

[gratuitous]

4. Send the governor out to body slam the smoke

I feel for you. Oregon was positively uninhabitable a couple of summers ago with all the wildfire smoke. Hopefully the never-ending cold wet weather that persisted in Oregon into May will mean a less severe fire season here and points east.

[MontanaMama]

10. What I wouldn't give to have something, somebody

body slam that SOB.

It snowed here in Missoula November 7th 2022 and we had that snow until the end of April. We were losing our minds over here. I will happily deal with a cold wet summer if it means no fires.

[NickB79]

8. This is just the start

Billions of tons of carbon, locked away in boreal forests and tundra across Canada, Alaska and Russia.

When they burn, it will heat the planet even more.

[MontanaMama]

11. You're not wrong.

I fear what is coming.

[NickB79]

15. I'm in Minnesota. It's hazy here too this week

I was just thinking yesterday how we never had smoky days like this when I was a kid in the 80's and 90's. Dusty yes, but that was life on the farm if a drought hit. State-issued air quality warning for smoke were unheard of, absolutely not normal. The last few years here, there were days we didn't let our daughter outside to play because of the poor quality.

And it hit me that, to my 13 yr old daughter, smoky summer days are what she's grown up with. That's her new normal. And it likely will be so for any children she may have. And it will only be worse for them.

And that kind of broke me a little inside, to the point I fought back a few tears.

[MontanaMama]

22. Boy howdy. I feel that.

My kiddo just turned 18 and he is an avid angler. His summers have always been smoky...to the point where we finally had central air installed...not because it gets too hot here but because of the smoke. I don't think it changes for these kids...it only gets worse and that feels terrible.

[Kaleva]

32. The sky is hazy east of you here in Upper Michigan

[Diamond_Dog]

12. O M G

Please stay safe! That’s unbelievable. Last week we got hazy skies here as far away as Ohio, apparently from the Alberta fires. I can’t imagine what you folks are forced to endure, being so close. Good thing your son did his solo flight before all this happened!

[MontanaMama]

14. Ugh!! You're so right, DD. I wonder if this will interfere with

Owen's flight lessons tomorrow and Saturday?

I have a client who lives a couple of hours north of here...he said you can't even go outside today the air is that unhealthy. I can't believe you are getting the smoke in OH! As a post stated above, we are all connected.

[roamer65]

16. In 2021, the skies in Michigan were so bad it reminded me of May 1980.

May 1980 was the eruption of Mount St Helens in Washington State. Both times I noticed soot on the cars in Michigan.

[Disaffected]

17. Hey, not to worry.

It was hot and dry in the 1930s and they have found dinosaur fossils in the artic. Therefore the climate is always changing and there is nothing we can do about it. Or so says my neighbour...

[MontanaMama]

23. I think I'd probably say something

that your neighbor wouldn't like to hear.

[MuseRider]

18. You live in such a beautiful state.

I fear we will all experience this or worse soon enough. For now I am so sorry this is happening. I cannot imagine Montana covered in smoke like that. Not only that but the fear of fire, it terrifies me. I think we are good here for now, nice and green and had rain but that can change so quickly. I hope you are OK and that it clears up quickly. I just cannot imagine how hard that is.

[MontanaMama]

24. Thanks for your kind words.

Right now its only smoke. It is annoying and ugly and I am sad for those further north of me. Not to mention the wild critters who have to deal with their home burning up. I hope this stays well away from you.

[BluesRunTheGame]

20. Early May 5 years ago I was packing up to leave Missoula...

… the last piles of snow were melting into puddles and there was a plume of smoke on one of the mountains north of town.

[MontanaMama]

25. Sounds about right.

Our snow finally left the valley in mid-April. The Forest Service started prescribed burns in the mountains north of town (upper Rattlesnake) right after that.

[Hela]

21. Good resource that shows fire locations and air quality

https://fire.airnow.gov/

[MontanaMama]

26. Thanks for the link.

[bluestarone]

28. East of Bismarck ND here. We are in a Special Weather Statement here Windy, cooler and lots of SMOKE

Right now Visibility 1/4 to 1/2 mile now! Really Smokey!! Through the night. clearer tomorrow.

[dalton99a]

29. Higher oil prices coming

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/17/climate/canada-wildfires-fracking-oil-gas.html
https://archive.ph/4FoiH

Canada’s Wildfires Have Been Disrupting Lives. Now, Oil and Gas Take a Hit.
By Hiroko Tabuchi
May 17, 2023 Updated 2:23 p.m. ET

Wildfires sweeping across western Canada that have driven thousands of people from their homes are also striking the heart of Canadian oil and gas country, forcing companies to curb production.

As flames bore down on wells and pipelines, major drillers like Chevron and Paramount Resources together shut down the equivalent of at least 240,000 barrels of oil a day, according to the energy consulting firm Rystad Energy.

The damage to oil and gas production was likely to significantly surpass current tallies, Thomas Liles, vice president of Rystad’s upstream research, said in a note. A large part of Alberta’s shale gas producing regions remained under “extreme” or “very high” wildfire warnings. Another 2.7 million barrels a day of oil sands production was also at risk.

The disruptions from the fires in Canada, a major oil- and gas-producing nation, have helped push oil prices higher. Chevron said it had shut down all production at its Kaybob Duvernay oil and gas fields in central Alberta. Paramount temporarily shuttered a natural gas processing plant along with production in several gas fields, the company said in its latest update on Sunday. Both companies said they were prioritizing the safety of their workers.

[2naSalit]

30. It's bad down here too.

I could see about a mile this morning but it rained for a while and the sun is out but it's still seriously hazy. AirNow says we're in "moderate" smoke now, after the rain. Glad I did all my vital outside stuff yesterday when it was not smoky at all.

[MontanaMama]

31. Sorry to hear you're in it too.

Really discouraging to think that we’re gonna have to deal with smoke this early in the season. Especially after the winter that seemed it would never end. We get such a small window of summer.

[2naSalit]

35. Yeah...

It's not starting off too good.

[MontanaMama]

36. Any flooding down your way?

Rivers are raging here…but flooding isn’t too bad yet. People are still floating the Smith River which is great…still lots of water there.

[2naSalit]

39. It's high but not too bad...

The Yellowstone is up but at this end it's lower than east. Went to Forsythe on Friday and it was a little higher there but not bad.

The Boulder is up quite a bit but it's been staying cool in the high country so it isn't gushing down, yet. And the Shields is getting a bit wild, some are already sand bagging buildings in the flood plane, it is coming up into the grass. Was up there yesterday.

There are people out on the Yellowstone but it's so muddy and swift I don't know what they are thinking, maybe it's summer crew in training. The raft rental place isn't open yet so I am waiting for that to think about going.

I can't kayak anymore, damnit. I would be immobile for days afterward if I tried. But I know folks who can row a raft, one has a dory... I'll be going down the Yellowstone a few times this summer, planning on it. I just can't do the paddling part anymore.

Just waiting until it's time.

[MontanaMama]

40. We've already had a couple river casualties this season.

Why do people go on the rivers when they’re like this? They are a death trap with all the logs and debris. Shaking my head…

We float the Blackfoot a lot in the summer but not for another month for sure.

[2naSalit]

41. Right?

I want to be able to see the boulders and gravel bars, which are now just about all under water now. And when it's muddy, going out right now is just asking for trouble. And nothing is the same as before the flood, the gravels bars are different, the banks have changed...

[Prairie_Seagull]

50. Made it to the Spokane region starting yesterday.

Worse today. AQI in moderate range at 76 in Spokane proper. North it appears to be worse. Expecting record temps as well.

In the middle of May? Moving to Hawaii (not really) and live on fish and pinapples. haha

[MontanaMama]

51. I'll make that move to Hawaii with you!

AQI is 105 here in Missoula right now…improved from this morning. Holy cats, it’s 90 degrees in Spokane now? It’s pretty early for heat like that isn’t it?

[Prairie_Seagull]

52. Another record tomorrow at least. Makes me think, when do our fires commence?

Heading out for a road trip to the Wa. Or. coasts soon. Wait that's right they are hell holes. haha and I am sure looking forward to our spending some time near the ocean again.

Prairie Seagull. ha

[MontanaMama]

55. We used to vacation in Yachats ever summer...

Right on the beach in a little shack. When my son started playing travel baseball, that ended. I hope to get back there soon.

[Prairie_Seagull]

58. Found this more regional reading of AQI.

Ours is now in the unhealthy range at 102. Anyway if you are not already using it. https://www.iqair.com/usa/washington/spokane. This is for my region. I am sure you will figure it out.

Still dreaming about selling the property and moving to the islands.

[MontanaMama]

59. Imho to Hawaii every April with some girlfriends.

It truly is a wonderful place. Although, I’ve become hyper aware of being a tourist in that paradise…I try to have as little impact on the locals there as possible. I wonder if they feel the same way about the onslaught of people from other places and we feel about that here in Montana?

Keep dreaming PS. I downloaded the AQ air app on my phone. Ours is 104 at the moment.

[Prairie_Seagull]

60. I lived there in the late 70's, have not been back but keep track of what's going on,

to some extent anyway. Even when i was there, there was a haole concern among some locals. Weather migration is going to happen weather folks like it or not. Especially for those with resources who can afford to choose. Are we approaching the point where some will flee looking for less smoke or ... ? There is increased risk in life now IMO.

Many farmers in my area know that something is 'off' with weather. Will they admit what it is? is another thing altogether.

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Howlie

[Kaleva]

33. This will be the new normal

[MontanaMama]

34. Yes.

[Maru Kitteh]

37. It's WAY TO DAMN EARLY for this damn pinky-orange sun and

while we're on the topic why the HELL did it have to be so hot AND humid today????


Ugh. I swear the Northern Territories look better every summer.

[MontanaMama]

38. Right?

I talked to a client of mine in Kalispell and he said the air up that way is straight up hazardous. We put up with the worst winter ever this year and now we have smoke. I seriously had tears in my eyes it was so beautiful just yesterday…we wait so many months for the soft and gentle spring air…planting the garden and appreciating everything about the warmer days. I’m so disappointed. 97 wildfires in Alberta is a big damned deal.


ETA: hot and humid here too. I don’t so humidity…hence I live in friggin’ Montana.


💨

[Maru Kitteh]

42. We went straight from snow to smoke. We were robbed!

I haven't even put my kayak in yet.


Also, sending some other country your smoke is totally rude. I thought Canada was supposed to be polite. I protest!

[MontanaMama]

47. Me too! I protest.

I float the Blackfoot all summer with my dog. Please please please let this not be our summer.

[hatrack]

43. NASA imagery from two days ago

Raging fires filled the skies of southern Canada and the northern United States with smoke in mid-May 2023. The fires had scorched 478,000 hectares (1,800 square miles) in Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan, as of May 16, which is 10-times the average area burned for this time of year.

This image, from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 18 (GOES-18), shows smoke from the fires sweeping over southern Canada as well as North Dakota, Minnesota, and several other states on May 15, 2023. GOES-18 is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); NASA helps develop and launch the GOES series of satellites.

As of May 16, there were 87 wildland fires burning in Alberta, a quarter of which were classified as out of control, meaning the fires were expected to grow in size. A majority of the 478,000 hectares burned have been in Alberta, according to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System, but several fires were classified as burning out of control on that day in British Columbia and Saskatchewan.

EDIT

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/151346/smoke-fills-north-american-skies

[roamer65]

54. Past couple of days reminded me of summer 2021 here in MI.

Here we go again.

Sigh.

The photo proves what I surmised.

[Delmette2.0]

45. Helena is getting a little of smoke.

I can see it as a haze over the mountains to my west.

[MontanaMama]

48. Hope you all in Helena escape it.

My nephew is running track in Helena this Friday and Saturday…nobody needs this smoke in May!

[Duppers]

49. Humans are making the planet "mad."

🚨Global warming: World is on track to breach 1.5 degrees of warming in the next 5 years.

Wed May 17, 2023

Global temperatures have soared in recent years as the world continues to burn planet-warming fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas. And that trend shows no sign of slowing. In its annual climate update, the WMO said that between 2023 and 2027, there is now a 66% chance that the planet’s temperature will climb above 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming above pre-industrial levels for at least one year

https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/17/world/global-warming-breach-wmo-climate-intl/index.html

I fear there'll be a lot more fires.

[maxsolomon]

53. It was all the way over in W. WA on Wednesday. A bit better today.

Northern BC & Alberta had a very dry Winter. All the rain went to CA.

[MontanaMama]

56. I was curious about their winter..

It snowed here in Missoula November 7 and that snow never melted until mid April. It was a heck of a long winter. We were losing our minds. It didn’t occur to me that Canada did not have the same experience.

[Maru Kitteh]

57. It took one of my kindest, sweetest patients on Friday MontanaMama.

I'm feeling pretty melancholy and angry right now. These fires were the final staw for one of my kindest, most gentle patients with COPD yesterday. It made me feel absolutely irrational, like running outside and literally screaming at the smoke. It made me so angry . . at the smoke.

And we're stuck in this now. Days. Weeks. Likely much of the summer.


AI, aliens, orcas, meteors, whatever it takes. This planet should get on with it. ❤️?🩹