Alberta
Alberta (/ælˈbɜːrtə/ al-BUR-tə) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories (NWT) to the north, and the U.S. state of Montana to the south. It is one of the only two landlocked provinces in Canada (Saskatchewan being the other).[1] The eastern part of the province is occupied by the Great Plains, while the western part borders the Rocky Mountains. The province has a predominantly continental climate but experiences quick temperature changes due to air aridity. Seasonal temperature swings are less pronounced in western Alberta due to occasional Chinook winds.[2]
Events
2016
In May wildfires moved from the forest into the oil sands capital of Fort McMurray, Alberta.[3]
2023
In May wildfires were described as early and exceptionally extensive, with about 24,000 people out of their homes in the sparsely populated, largely northern areas of the province as 88 active wildfires were burning across nearly one million acres.[3] The situation has been described by researchers as a 'Perfect Storm', due to the conditions of dry vegetation, record temperatures and powerful winds.[4]
"We've already had 390,000 hectares (963,710 acres) burned. So it's already 10 times the typical fire year and we're really just getting started." - Danielle Smith, premier of Alberta[4]
References
- ↑ Get to know Canada - Provinces and territories Government of Canada
- ↑ Wenckstern, Erin (2015) Chinook winds and Alberta weather The Weather Network
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 (2023) ‘Leaving Behind All They Own’ as Wildfires Ravage Million Acres in Canada New York Times
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 RFI (2023, May) 'Perfect storm' of heat, dryness fuel western Canada's extreme wildfires AFP
