Drivers and Impacts of the Record-Breaking 2023 Wildfire Season in Canada

Piyush Jain (), Quinn E. Barber, Stephen W. Taylor, Ellen Whitman, Dante Castellanos Acuna, Yan Boulanger, Raphaël D. Chavardès, Jack Chen, Peter Englefield, Mike Flannigan, Martin P. Girardin, Chelene C. Hanes, John Little, Kimberly Morrison, Rob S. Skakun, Dan K. Thompson, Xianli Wang and Marc-André Parisien
Additional contact information
Piyush Jain: Natural Resources Canada
Quinn E. Barber: Natural Resources Canada
Stephen W. Taylor: Natural Resources Canada
Ellen Whitman: Natural Resources Canada
Dante Castellanos Acuna: University of Alberta
Yan Boulanger: 1055 du P.E.P.S.
Raphaël D. Chavardès: Natural Resources Canada
Jack Chen: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Peter Englefield: Natural Resources Canada
Mike Flannigan: Thompson Rivers University
Martin P. Girardin: 1055 du P.E.P.S.
Chelene C. Hanes: Natural Resources Canada
John Little: Natural Resources Canada
Kimberly Morrison: Natural Resources Canada
Rob S. Skakun: Natural Resources Canada
Dan K. Thompson: Natural Resources Canada
Xianli Wang: Natural Resources Canada
Marc-André Parisien: Natural Resources Canada

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Abstract The 2023 wildfire season in Canada was unprecedented in its scale and intensity, spanning from mid-April to late October and across much of the forested regions of Canada. Here, we summarize the main causes and impacts of this exceptional season. The record-breaking total area burned (~15 Mha) can be attributed to several environmental factors that converged early in the season: early snowmelt, multiannual drought conditions in western Canada, and the rapid transition to drought in eastern Canada. Anthropogenic climate change enabled sustained extreme fire weather conditions, as the mean May–October temperature over Canada in 2023 was 2.2 °C warmer than the 1991–2020 average. The impacts were profound with more than 200 communities evacuated, millions exposed to hazardous air quality from smoke, and unmatched demands on fire-fighting resources. The 2023 wildfire season in Canada not only set new records, but highlights the increasing challenges posed by wildfires in Canada.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-51154-7

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