Wildfire smoke is making Winnipeg summers smokier than ever, with 2025 already the third worst on record. Experts link the trend to climate change.
Smoky Skies Become the New Normal
Winnipeg’s summers are growing smokier — and the data confirms what residents have long suspected. According to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), the city is on track to record one of its smokiest wildfire seasons since 1953, when official smoke tracking began.
Smoke Hours Near Record Highs in 2025
By mid-July, Winnipeg had already logged the third-highest number of “smoke hours” in a single wildfire season. A smoke hour is defined by ECCC as any hour where visibility drops to 9.7 kilometres or less due to smoke — a metric tracked consistently for over 70 years.
The highest recorded smoke year remains 1961, when over 100 smoke hours were logged. However, that used to be an anomaly. Today, it’s becoming routine: four of the past five summers have surpassed that threshold.
What’s Causing the Surge in Smoke?
Experts point to climate-related factors as primary drivers. “We do see this increasing, and some of it can be attributed to climate change, or drought, or the heat,” said Céline Audette, health and air quality manager at ECCC. Warmer temperatures and prolonged dry periods are creating conditions for more frequent and intense wildfires across Manitoba and western Canada.
These fires don’t just affect the immediate vicinity. Their smoke plumes drift hundreds of kilometres, blanketing cities like Winnipeg for days — sometimes weeks — on end.
Health Impacts Raise Concern
Long-term exposure to wildfire smoke is now a growing public health issue. Dr. Anna Gunz, a pediatrician and environmental health expert at Western University, warns that wildfire smoke contains harmful fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which has been linked to heart, lung, and even brain issues.
“There’s growing evidence that this kind of pollution can affect prenatal development, birth weights, and long-term respiratory health,” Dr. Gunz told.
Historic and Real-Time Tracking Tools
The “smoke hour” metric is especially valuable because it spans decades — offering a rare long-term view of air quality changes. ECCC’s interactive charts, updated daily, let residents compare 2025 to past years at a glance. These visuals show not just how much smoke has accumulated, but also when it peaks — like July 11 and 12 this year, which saw health advisories issued during the Winnipeg Folk Festival.
A companion map on Environment Canada’s site shows current smoke plumes and PM2.5 concentrations across North America, helping Canadians better understand where the pollution is coming from in real time.
Past vs Present: How Winnipeg’s Air Has Changed
While 1961 was a historic outlier in its time, smoke levels that rare are now more frequent. Seasonal data reveals that smoky days have been steadily increasing, especially since 2015. A calendar heatmap visualization shows that, unlike earlier decades, the last five years have seen consistent spikes in smoke hours during summer months.
Not all smoke comes from wildfires — agricultural burning was a larger factor in earlier years. But with tighter regulations since 1993, wildfires have become the dominant source.
Looking Ahead
If trends continue, Winnipeg may soon surpass its 1961 smoke record. And with wildfires beginning earlier and burning longer, experts say the city — like much of Canada — must prepare for a future where smoke is not the exception, but the rule.
Residents are encouraged to monitor air quality via apps like WeatherCAN and to limit outdoor activity during advisories. As Dr. Gunz put it, “The air we breathe matters — and for many Canadians, it’s getting harder to take that for granted.”
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