A unusual heat wave in winter raised the thermometers to the point of sending people to the beaches in California and start a fire out of season, which has forced evacuations in the south of the state.
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The National Weather Service issued a heat advisory for the state between Wednesday and Sunday. Photo: Archyde.com
The National Weather Service threw a state heat advisory between Wednesday and Sunday, with highs of up to 32 ºC in Los Angeles, higher than the average for this time of year in this coastal city in the western United States.
If you heat the planet, you’re going to break heat records,” Justin Mankin, a professor at Dartmouth University, told AFP.
Mankin stressed that with global warming, mainly due to the burning of fossil fuels and other human activities, these phenomena, partly caused by local weather conditions, will become more common.
We’ve warmed the climate of the planet we live on, so just from a statistical standpoint we’re going to see an increase in these record-breaking weather extremes.”
California is going through years of intense drought and increasingly dramatic fire seasons.
After effusive storms and snowfalls that broke records in December, between Wednesday and Thursday several cities in the state registered new highs above 30ºC, and the sierra completed 32 days without rain, the longest consecutive period without rainfall in winter in this region. , reported a UC Berkeley lab.
Another record that can be reached this weekend is the hottest final of the National Football League, which this year is played in Los Angeles. With forecasts anticipating up to 32ºC, the 29ºC mark under which the 1973 Super Bowl was played, also in Los Angeles, is at risk.
Endless fire season
As Californians seek solace on the beaches, dozens of people are evacuated in the small city of Laguna Beach (south), where a fire started amid strong winds and low humidity levels.
Authorities reported that the flames spread over more than 500,000 m2, covering small coastal communities with dense black clouds. Until noon there were no reports of injuries or material damage.
Thermometers exceeded 28 ºC in Laguna Beach, with low humidity.
We don’t have a fire season anymore, we now have a year of fires,” Brian Fennessy of the Orange County Fire Department told a news conference.
It’s February 10th, we should be in the middle of winter and we are forecasting temperatures of 80-90ºF (26-32ºC). Even though the hills are green, low humidity and wind cause fires. If this is any sign of things to come for the rest of the winter and spring, we have a long year ahead of us,” Fennessy added.
These types of heat events suggest an eventual early start to the California wildfire season,” Mankin said. “It even looks like the previous one never ended.”
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