British Columbia's longest and most destructive wildfire season has been named the top meteorological newsmaker of the year by Environment and Climate Change Canada.
The federal department released its annual list of 'Top 10 Weather Stories' for 2017 on Thursday, placing the B.C. blaze at the top of the pack for its impact on Canadians, longevity, economic effects and extent of area impacted. It was the most catastrophic wildfire season in the province's history, representing a 66 per cent increase in fires from previous years and an impact area four times the norm.
From forest fires to raging floods and hurricanes, 2017 has been a year of extremes, said Environment Canada — "too dry, too hot, too wet, too cold, and too mild." These events demonstrate the impacts of climate change, it explained, asking Canadians to brace for impact as the global trend of extreme weather continues.
"Canadians must become better prepared for severe weather conditions as our climate continues to change," said the Thursday news release. "As Canada's Top 10 Weather Stories for 2017 illustrates, our communities must become more resilient — not only for what lies ahead but also for the extreme weather events that are already at our doorstep."
This year, property damage from extreme weather cost Canadian insurers and governments millions of dollars. Temperatures soared to make December 2017 to November 2017 the eighth-hottest year on record in 70 years, and the 21st warmer-than-normal year in a row.
Canada's Top 10 Weather Stories for 2017:
1. British Columbia's wildfire season
2. Dry and hot temperatures in the West
3. Spring flooding in Quebec and Ontario
4. British Columbia's cold and snowy winter
5. Another Windsor flood (two storms of the century in a year)
6. Central Canada's missing summer
7. A new storm of the century
8. Summer in September
9. Newfoundland's Brier blast
10. New Brunswick's glaze storm
Read National Observer's coverage here:
- Central Canada pounded by 'severe hardships' as flooding continues
- The wildfires are a warning from Mother Earth: Suzuki
- B.C. launches new wildfire investigation
- Prep for 'major coastal flooding' warns Canada-U.S. body
- Here are the climate science benchmarks of the Quebec floods
- Canada seeks updated climate change predictions for new building codes
- Military relief from Quebec floods
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