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American west stuck in cycle of 'heat, drought and fire', experts warn:
Firefighters are battling blazes from Arizona to Washington state that are burning with a worrying ferocity, while officials say California is already set to outpace last year's record-breaking fire season.
Extreme heatwaves over the past few weeks – which have smashed records everywhere from southern California to Nevada and Oregon – are causing the region's water reserves to evaporate at an alarming rate, said Jose Pablo Ortiz Partida, a climate scientist for the Union of Concerned Scientists, a non-profit advocacy group. And devoid of moisture, the landscape heats up quickly, like a hot plate, desiccating the landscape and turning vegetation into kindling.
"For our most vulnerable, disadvantaged communities, this also creates compounding health effects," Ortiz said. "First there's the heat. Then for many families their water supplies are affected. And then it's also the same heat and drought that are exacerbating wildfires and leading to smoky, unhealthy air quality."
In northern California, the largest wildfire to hit the state this year broke out over the weekend and has so far consumed more than 140 sq miles (362 sq km). The Beckwourth Complex grew so fast and with such intensity that it whipped up a rare fire tornado – a swirling vortex of smoke and fire.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by richtopia on Monday July 19 2021, @02:47PM (1 child)
Have you looked at the high-desert? Pretty severe drought there. Admittedly, I'm unsure of the water reserves you specifically mention.
https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu [unl.edu]
It might be cooler, but even cool with no rain will lead to drought and forest fires. I migrated to Oregon five years ago, and I'm still surprised that there is a "fire season" after growing up in Michigan.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday July 19 2021, @08:56PM
The pacific northwest's high desert is bone dry. This is true. It also should not come as a surprise, because it's right in the name: desert. However, as of a month ago most rivers in the region were running at or above average levels for the time, including on the east side of the Cascades. Dam levels are strong, and the snowpack's not bad either.
As for the time of year, every summertime it dries out for two to three months, and this is nothing new. It's been doing it before palefaces even showed up in this neck of the woods. That's not drought, that's seasonal variation.