This happened to me

We’re The Worst in The World Today

A stunning meteorological realization at dawn

Image by Adina Voicu from Pixabay

I woke a little late this morning, believing it was still nighttime. My room was dark, and my cat was still asleep. She always wakes me when it’s time to be fed.

I turned to my bedside table and fumbled for my phone. I thought it must be an error on its part when the time was 8.15. It couldn’t possibly be! Maybe we were having a freak storm or something. Sometimes, they sneak up on us here in southern Ontario.

But as I grabbed my dressing gown and stepped into the dark hallway, I saw an orange glow through the kitchen’s north-facing window.

I recognized the greyish shade of orange from last summer. Somewhere there was a fire burning, and it wasn’t our neighbour’s firepit. I went to the living room to check the south-facing windows.

Sure enough, there was that familiar eerie glow in the sky from all directions around the house. It was most certainly another wildfire. And it was bad.

My husband woke and turned the local news on the TV. The reporter was outdoors, talking about the deteriorating air quality.

We were expecting the heatwave of 30–33 this week, so no surprise there. Then she invited a professor from the University of Toronto to address the scary weather conditions. What he said shocked us both, and the reporter too, from her reaction to the claim.

Breaking News:

Today, Canada holds the record for being the worst country in the world for poor air quality!

You can see some spectacular images from the CTV News channel here.

I turned to our local weather channel for more information:

Dry conditions and intense heat earlier in the week — peaking at 38°C in Sioux Lookout and 40.8°C in Armstrong on Tuesday — have resulted in a high to extreme fire danger. Hundreds of uncontrolled wildfires are sending thick plumes of smoke into the air. — The Weather Network, Ontario

Apparently, smoke from the northern Ontario wildfires has spread over 1,000 km, with the jet stream carrying it southeast where we live. Hazy skies, diminished sunlight, and a smoky odour have been reported, but I’m not going outside to test that!

The channel suggested that during periods of heavy smoke, everyone’s health is at risk, regardless of age or health status, and everyone should limit time outdoors and reschedule or cancel outdoor sports, activities, and events.

My daughter just texted me to say it feels like we’re living on Mars. She’s right. It’s a good day to watch that movie again. (The Martian.)

Thank goodness some relief may come Friday into Saturday, as a weather system moving along the border with the U.S may bring rain. Temperatures then are expected to cool into the mid-20s.

Until then, maybe I’ll catch up on some Medium writing!

’Til next time — thank you for reading, and remember you are loved by the One who created you in His image.

~ Lynne

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[embed]Wildfire Smoke Wherever We Go The View From Here 2025–08–08medium.com