Smoke from Canada: Dramatic changes in the sky in Europe!

Smoke from Canada: Dramatic changes in the sky in Europe!

Smoke from massive wildfires in Canada has crossed the Atlantic and reached Europe. According to the EU Earth observation program Copernicus, not only are direct impacts on ground-level air quality expected, but also a range of visual phenomena, such as cloudy days and red-orange sunsets, which have similarities to Saharan dust. These developments were reported on June 4, 2025 by Lesseniel reported.

The first cloud of smoke crossed the Mediterranean region on May 18 and 19, while a second, larger cloud reached northwestern Europe on June 1, 2025. Meteolux meteorologists confirmed that smoke particles from the Canadian wildfires were detected at high altitudes over European regions on Tuesday. Forecasts indicate that further smoke particles can be expected in the atmosphere in the coming days.

Origin of forest fires and their effects

The wildfires raging in the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan are responsible for transporting the smoke to Europe. Copernicus' Atmospheric Monitoring Service (CAMS) is monitoring these wildfire emissions and reports a significant increase in activity in May 2025. Mark Parrington, senior scientist at CAMS, highlights that these intense wildfire emissions are coming from the central regions of Canada. EE news adds that satellites were able to observe and confirm this long-distance transport of the smoke.

Overall, the smoke clouds are not expected to have any major impact on air quality near the ground. The smoke is mainly transported in higher air layers, which minimizes the pollution in the air we breathe. Nevertheless, the typical visual accompaniments are remarkable, and meteorologists expect the smoke transport to continue in the coming week.

Global perspectives and other challenges

However, the impacts of these wildfires are not limited to North America and Europe. Large forest fires have also been active in the Far East Federal District of Russia, especially in Buryatia and Transbaikalia, since the beginning of April 2025. This region is currently experiencing its highest carbon emissions since 2018, which is approximately 35 megatons emissions-based. CAMS forecasts show that smoke from this region was also transported towards northeastern China and northern Japan, where it also affected air quality.

The entire incident is another example of the far-reaching environmental impacts of wildfires and highlights how meteorological phenomena can affect air quality and weather across continents. The federal government and environmental protection organizations continue to monitor developments closely in order to be able to take potential measures.