How climate change plays a role in the Canadian wildfires

I am. Thank you for joining us for 22 news at 530. I'm Nick Oresko and I'm CR Speller. Hazy conditions can still be seen across western Massachusetts and the state from the smoke caused by those Canadian wildfires. 22 news storm team meteorologist Alexa Bianco explains how climate change is playing a role. Yes, with warmer temperatures becoming more normal, so is the drought, especially in Canada. According to Noah, back in 2023 Canada had the worst wildfire season on record, and that trend continued into 2024 and now 2025. And with the fire so large, the haze is covering the northern United States, especially in the Midwest and here in New England. A lot of that smoke is just getting caught up in the jet stream coming east and most of the time makes the sky look a little hazy. But this is some pretty dense wildfire smoke and it's affecting our air quality. With Canada having above average normal temperatures as well as below average rainfall this past June, their drought conditions have increased significantly, especially in areas like Alberta as well as British Columbia. Now this is triggering air quality alerts in Massachusetts. Canada isn't very populated, so that means there are fewer firefighters, which unfortunately increases the fire's ability to spread. Noah also stated since early June, 1,764 fires have burned throughout Canada, consuming around 6.4 million acres. That's larger than Vermont. The continuation of above average temperatures and lack of rain in certain areas will increase the drought chances for places around the world and the United States. NASA has even stated that their satellites spot active fires two times a day, and with nighttime lows warmer, it makes it harder for those fires to die after dark. Best thing to do now is stay weather aware and take necessary precautions to deal with the smoke.