THUNDER BAY — Wildfires continue to pop up near Thunder Bay amid a dry forecast and what's expected to be a record low in the city for the September amount of rainfall.
Environment Canada said on Monday that only about 6.5 millimetres of rain had fallen at Thunder Bay's airport last month.
The previous record was set in 2009, when just under 14 mm fell on the city. The normal amount for September wasn't immediately available.
A high pressure system moving into the region is expected to keep Thunder Bay area skies clear for several days, said Toronto-based meteorologist Dave Rodgers.
That won't help the wildfire outlook, provincial officials suggest.
"The Northwest is presently under high to extreme wildland fire hazard," noted Ontario Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services (AFFES) department spokesman Chris Marchand.
For those who don't like the heat, Rodgers did have some good news: temperatures in Thunder Bay are to return to the normal daily high of about 15 C for the rest of the week.
For the past 10 days or so, the mercury has soared to 8-10 degrees warmer than normal for this time of year.
On Monday, provincial firefighting crews put out a small blaze at Flower Lake, about 65 kilometres west of Thunder Bay.
Another small blaze that had lit up on the western shore of Lake Nipigon about 18 km east of Highway 527 was considered not under control as of late Sunday, according to the AFFES agency.
Meanwhile, the province's fire season remains less severe overall than previous years despite the unusually dry conditions.
There had been 427 fires as of Monday, compared to the long-term average of 684 for the same period, the AFFES says.
More than 866 square kilometres of land have so far been burned over province-wide, compared to just over 2,000 square kilometres for the same period.
The Chronicle Journal / Local Journalism Initiative
