An incoming weather system could heighten forest fire risk across much of the province beginning Thursday, the BC Wildfire Service warns.
A dry cold front sweeping across the region is set to clash with the high-pressure ridge that brought hot, dry conditions to Whistler and the rest of the South Coast this week, resulting in strong, gusty winds and potential thunderstorms from tomorrow until Friday, Aug. 18.
In a video posted Wednesday, Neal McLoughlin, superintendent of predictive services with the BC Wildfire Service, said officials are "very concerned about the upcoming ridge breakdown and what that could mean in terms of fire behaviour."
Those conditions create the perfect storm for rapidly-evolving, fast-spreading flames, the Coastal Fire Centre explained in an information bulletin.
The forecast prompted Environment Canada to issue a special weather statement for Whistler and B.C.'s Interior on Wednesday afternoon. Meteorologists expect to see widespread southwesterly winds blowing at 30 kilometres-per-hour and gusting up to 50 km/h beginning Thursday morning, Aug. 17, but predict winds will shift to a northwesterly direction and weaken slightly by midday. Those gusts should continue blowing overnight and into Friday as the cold front passes.
Instability along the cold front could manifest in thunderstorms by Thursday afternoon, according to the special weather statement. "The main hazard is localized severe winds with speeds up to or above 70 km/h and dry lightning," Environment Canada warned.
Alongside the danger of that lightning sparking new wildfires, potential hazards include breaking branches—particularly when it comes to drought-stricken trees—and challenging boating conditions.
As wildfire conditions worsen throughout the weather event, early detection and public reporting of any smoke will be critical to helping crews wage successful attacks on new fires, the BC Wildfire Service added.
"Another thing is your own human activity," McLoughlin added. "We really don't want to see human starts this time of year with the conditions we're experiencing, so be mindful of any outdoor recreation or activities you're doing. We don't want you to be a source of new ignitions."
British Columbians are asked to pay close attention to local updates and alerts.
The warning comes on the same day officials in the Northwest Territories issued an evacuation order for Yellowknife and its 20,000 residents as flames moved closer to city limits, hours after 80 campers trapped overnight by a wildfire were evacuated from Cathedral Provincial Park in southern BC.
Closer to home in the Sea to Sky, a series of evacuation orders and alerts remain in place for areas impacted by the Downton Lake and Casper Creek wildfires burning north of Pemberton. At least three homes in the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District have been lost to the fires so far.
Report wildfires by phone at 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on a cell.
