Winnipeg logs 306 smoke hours, breaking a 1961 record as Manitoba faces its worst wildfire season in decades with over 1.5M hectares burned.
Historic Smoke Levels Recorded in Winnipeg
Winnipeg has officially logged its smokiest summer in recorded history, surpassing a 64-year-old record with 306 smoke hours as of Monday, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada. The previous record of 304 hours was set during the severe wildfire season of 1961.
Measurement Method and Record Details
Environment Canada’s meteorologists define “smoke hours” as periods when visibility drops to 9.7 kilometres or less due to smoke. Monitoring began in Winnipeg in 1953. July 2025 alone brought 189 smoke hours, making it the city’s smokiest month ever — eclipsing August 1961’s previous peak of 163.
Wildfires Fueling the Crisis
This alarming milestone comes amid Manitoba’s worst wildfire season in 30 years. The province’s latest fire situation report shows over 1.5 million hectares have burned so far this year, with nearly 40% of the damage concentrated in northern Manitoba.
The city of Thompson also broke its own smoke record with 574 smoke hours to date, exceeding the 1989 high of 507.
Communities Forced to Flee
Evacuations are underway across impacted regions. Over the weekend, 2,500 residents of Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation were evacuated as fire threatened the only road into the community. The nearby wildfire has already scorched more than 6,980 hectares.
“We’ve been breathing in this smoke all summer,” said NCN Deputy Chief Marcel Moody. “It’s the worst I’ve ever seen. We don’t know the long-term health impact yet.”
The Human and Health Toll
Residents describe the conditions as surreal. “It’s like a brown, sepia filter over the town,” said Kylie Matechuk, who visited her family in Thompson over the long weekend.
Michael Brauer, a public health expert from the University of British Columbia, warned of serious health implications. “Wildfire smoke affects the lungs, heart, and even the brain,” Brauer explained. “This is a national health issue — and it’s not going away.”
A Look Ahead: Is This Canada’s New Normal?
Environment Canada meteorologist Crawford Luke says the smoke-hour count is likely to climb in the coming weeks as fires continue to rage.
“This may be a preview of what summers will look like across much of Canada,” Luke said. “We still have a lot of summer left, and the fires are far from out.”
Public Urged to Take Precautions
Health authorities recommend staying indoors, using air purifiers, and wearing N95 masks outdoors when necessary. Clean-air shelters are also being set up in impacted areas.
As wildfires grow more intense and frequent, experts urge all Canadians to prepare for smoke-filled summers as a recurring feature of life in a warming climate.
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