Toronto, Ontario recorded one of its hottest summers on record in 2025, with six heatwaves, 14 days above 32°C (90°F), and 24 nights above 20°C (68°F) as of August 24, according to Environment Canada.
More than 60 hikers were airlifted from Bugaboo Provincial Park, British Columbia, at around 08:00 local time (LT) on August 17, 2025, after a glacial lake outburst flood blocked exit routes.
An atmospheric river (AR) with moderate-to-strong integrated vapor transport (IVT) exceeding 500 kg m⁻¹ s⁻¹ is forecast to make landfall over the Pacific Northwest and southern British Columbia on the evening of August 14, 2025, bringing sustained AR conditions for about 24 hours and significant precipitation through August 16.
The first significant rainfall event in weeks is forecast for coastal British Columbia, Canada, with an atmospheric river expected to bring 20–40 mm (0.8–1.6 inches) to the Lower Mainland and over 50 mm (2 inches) to higher elevations from August 15 to 17, 2025. The rainfall is expected to bring some relief to the region following prolonged wildfire activity that has scorched over 7 000 000 ha (1.8 million acres) across Canada making it the country’s second-worst wildfire season on record.
Air quality alerts were issued across the U.S. Midwest and Northeast on Monday, August 4, 2025, and remain in effect on August 5, as over 740 wildfires burning across Canada send smoke to the U.S. Currently, 2025 is the third most destructive year for wildfires in Canada and is likely to become the second most destructive year surpassing 1989 when wildfires burned over 17 million acres of land across the country.
A new study published on July 18, 2025, in Science Advances presents the first high-resolution seismic images of a nascent subduction zone off the coast of British Columbia’s Haida Gwaii archipelago, revealing a developing megathrust fault capable of producing powerful earthquakes and tsunamis.
Severe thunderstorms impacted eastern Ontario and southern Quebec, Canada on July 13, 2025, producing up to 100 mm (3.9 inches) of rain in 90 minutes, flash floods, wind gusts up to 90 km/h (56 mph), and widespread power outages affecting more than 60 000 customers.
Toronto briefly recorded the worst air quality in the world on Friday, June 6, 2025, as wildfire smoke blanketed the city, prompting health warnings and disrupting daily life.
Smoke plumes from wildfires in Canada have crossed the Atlantic and reached Europe. These wildfires released an estimated 56 megatonnes (56 billion kg) of carbon, prompting large-scale evacuations and deteriorating air quality across parts of North America and Europe as smoke plumes crossed the Atlantic and reached the Mediterranean in May 2025.
Over 25 000 residents across Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta have been evacuated due to dozens of out-of-control wildfires. Smoke from the fires is affecting air quality across much of the central and eastern United States, including the Midwest, Great Lakes, Northeast, and Mid-Atlantic regions, prompting health advisories and air quality alerts in multiple states.
