Storm Tracker

Smoke from forest fires burning in the region has lead Environment Canada to issue a special air quality statement for much of the region.

Smoky conditions will be seen in Kenora, Grassy Narrows, Whitedog, Sioux Lookout, Eastern Lac Seul, and the surrounding communities throughout the weekend, says Environment Canada.

Smoke from forest fires burning in the area can once again be seen and smelled in the Kenora area.

Based on the model from FireSmoke.ca, a website dedicated to forecasting smoky conditions in Canada, the smoke will be with us from Friday into the weekend.

Thankfully, the heavy smoke that blanketed the Kenora area on Thursday won't impact us due to current wind conditions.

There are two massive forest fires burning northwest of Kenora, in Woodland Caribou Provincial Park at this time, the largest being Kenora Fire 51.

Expect beaches to be very busy over the next few days as heatwave settles over the region.

Environment Canada has issued a heat warning for Northwestern Ontario.

Daytime highs in the region over the next couple of days are expected to be in the mid to high 30's, with very little relief overnight as lows are expected to be in the high teens and mid 20's.

The risks are greater for young children, pregnant women, older adults, people with chronic illnesses, and people working or exercising outdoors.

The combination of a dry forest and a forecast that includes little to no rain has prompted the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry to implement a Restricted Fire Zone in the Kenora, Fort Frances and Dryden Districts, and southern portions of Sioux Lookout and Red Lake Districts.

The restricted fire zone comes into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, June 30, and bans most outdoor fires.

Smoke blowing south from two fires southwest of Red Lake, along with a number of smaller forest fires in the far north, could be seen and smelt throughout most of the day across the region.

This prompted Environment Canada to issue a special weather statement for Kenora, Grassy Narrows, Whitedog, and the surrounding communities as air quality deteriorated.

Environment Canada says Northeasterly winds will serve to transport smoke toward Manitoba this evening. The air quality will likely improve as a result.

At this time, the storm in Sioux Lookout Wednesday evening is being classified as a downburst event. A downburst is an area of very powerful winds that are produced by thunderstorms.

Wind gusts at the Sioux Lookout Airport peaked out at 111 km/h, with low-level winds being estimated at 125 hm/h by Dryden doppler radar.

As the dry conditions persist, the level of Lake of the Woods continues to drop.

According to the Lake of the Woods Control Board, Lake of the Woods dropped by 5 cm (2 in) over the past week, and the water level is expected to continue to decline over the next week by another 2 to 4 cm (1 to 2 in).

The current level of Lake of the Woods is 322.7 m (1058.7 ft), which is in the 15th percentile for this time of year.

Sioux Lookout and area residents are waking up to a vast amount of property damage and power outages following a powerful storm that passed through the region last night. 

The storm started up around 8:00 p.m. and a Sioux Lookout resident is experiencing extensive property damage. 

"It started getting really windy and the sky looked sort of green. Then a tree fell down on both my vehicles and crushed the roof of my truck in. Another big tree fell on my R.V and looks like it crushed the corner of the roof on that," said Pat Davis.

Water levels across the district continue to be very low.

Lake of the Woods is currently in the 20th percentile for this time of year with a current height of 322.25 m (1058.9 ft). The Lake of the Woods Control Board says the water level changed very little over the last week and expects little change this week. 

The situation in Lac Seul is much worse. That lake is currently in the 10th percentile for this time of year with a current height of 355.25 m (1165.5 ft). Lac Seul levels rose by 8 cm (3 in) last week and is expected to rise by 3 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in) this week.

The storm has passed.

Environment Canada meteorologists are tracking a severe thunderstorm capable of producing strong wind gusts and nickel to ping pong ball size hail.

This thunderstorm is located near the Manitoba border and is moving east at 60 km/h.

Locations impacted include: Ingolf, Malachi and Ottermere.