Forest fires in Canada change the colour of skies in… France

A series of forest fires in the south of France this weekend may have taken centre stage in the news but they were not the only blazes to impact residents. 

Read more: Wildfires in France: less destruction in 2024 but plea for more resources

Powerful forest fires in Canada – the strongest in 100 years in some areas – have been burning for the last month, with tens of thousands of hectares of land destroyed, and hundreds of buildings burnt down.

The tourist resort of Jasper, Alberta is facing the brunt of the fires, with nearly one-third of all buildings in the town destroyed. Other blazes have spread rapidly in the sparsely populated northern wilderness.

The ensuing fumes from these fires blew eastwards due to wind patterns, before being picked up by Atlantic currents and transported to the European coastline. 

This smoke changed the hue of skies across France yesterday (August 19) from a typical blue into a more murky yellow. 

Coastal areas, particularly Brittany, saw the most dramatic changes. 

However, the effects were felt further inland. As far east as Lyon, weather stations commented on the change in sky colour. 

Although not as strong, the sky was more yellow, particularly further into the horizon. 

The skies over Belgium also changed colour, appearing more white than yellow.

Belgian news sites claim the skies could stay this unusual colour for the rest of the week, as more smoke is blown across the Atlantic.