Can you smell smoke in Shropshire? Weather gurus suggest this astonishing possibility
Residents in parts of Shrewsbury who were sniffing a smoky smell earlier this week may have been taking in the diluted results of wildfires on the other side of the Atlantic, say weather experts.
The Met Office says it “isn’t unheard of in the UK and can happen on occasion” that the smoke from massive wildfires in Canada has brought the smell of burning with it.
On Tuesday evening this week residents in the Herongate area of the county town reported having to close their windows because of the smell.
There was no sign of smoke drifting in the area from bonfires and the county fire service had no reports of incidents.
One resident said: “It smelt quite strong at about 11pm but I couldn’t see anything in the area, no sign of drifting smoke or a bonfire or anything like that. I had to close my windows and felt my lungs tightening.
“I feel sorry for anyone with a lung condition, they would have suffered if they could taste that smell.”
Local weather amateur Liam Ball posted a picture on X of a haze in the sky over Shropshire and said it is “caused by Canadian wildfire smoke, which has drifted across the Atlantic.”
UK weather forecasters at the Met Office confirmed with satellite images that clouds of smoke had been tracked across the Atlantic and over the UK.
It is, they added on X “a striking reminder of how interconnected our atmosphere is.”
A Met Office spokesperson said today (Thursday, August 7, 2025): “There’s a high likelihood that Canadian wildfire smoke is over parts of the UK currently and has been tracked on satellite data over recent days.
“The vast majority of this is high in the atmosphere.
“However, given light winds, there’s a potential that some of this can descend closer to ground level, especially at night and early in the morning, which could result in a slight smell for some.
“This isn’t unheard of in the UK and can happen on occasion.”
Last year the Met Office said that fires can be a natural and positive part of the healthy functioning of many ecosystems.
They add: “However, the pattern of large or unusual fires – known as wildfires – is changing, and there is scientific consensus that climate change is promoting the conditions on which they depend, such as the frequency and intensity of fire weather.”
