Alberta expands wildfire weather network with $900K investment to improve response and community protection
EDMONTON — Alberta is upgrading its wildfire weather network with a $900,000 investment aimed at better predicting fire hazards and keeping communities safer.
In partnership with FortisAlberta, the province will build 150 new automated weather stations for key locations in Alberta. The expanded network will provide real-time data on temperature, humidity, wind conditions and moisture levels. The information will help Alberta Wildfire anticipate threats and respond more quickly.
“This technology is vital to keeping our firefighters safe, and to helping protect lives and livelihoods across the province,” said Forestry and Parks Minister Todd Loewen. “We’re not only helping Alberta Wildfire teams respond more effectively, we’re also helping communities reduce their exposure to wildfires.”
The funding, which will be spread over three years, brings the province’s total investment in the fire weather network to $1.9 million and is part of a broader strategy to strengthen wildfire prevention and improve readiness as the 2025 fire season gets underway.
The new stations will also include sensors to monitor snowpack and spring thaw conditions. That data is especially valuable in predicting how dry the landscape might be as the season begins, which can influence wildfire risk. Both the 2016 Horse River Fire and last year’s evacuation of Fort McMurray occurred in the spring snow levels left the forest tinder dry.
FortisAlberta will lead the installation of the new equipment.
The government says locations for the new weather stations will be finalized in the coming months as Alberta Wildfire identifies areas lacking monitoring coverage.
Budget 2025 includes several other wildfire readiness measures. The province is providing $160 million for the base wildfire budget, an increase of $5 million from last year. It is also allocating $15 million for the Community Fireguard Program and $10.8 million for FireSmart programming to support wildfire prevention and education.
Alberta’s legislated wildfire season runs from March 1 to October 31.
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