Climate Scientist: California Wildfires Are Faster, Stronger, Deadlier & Will Continue to Intensify

[yuiyoshida]

In California, tens of thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate as deadly wildfires continue to rage across the state. The worst wildfire, the Carr Fire, has engulfed more than 100,000 acres and destroyed more than a thousand homes in and around Redding, California, making it the sixth most destructive fire in the state’s history. Authorities said Wednesday that 16 of the largest wildfires burning in California have scorched 320,000 acres—an area larger than Los Angeles. Eight people have died. Governor Jerry Brown called the growing intensity and frequency of California wildfires the state’s “new normal” this week. More fires continue to consume parts of Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and Arizona, along with recent blazes across the globe in Greece, Canada and the Arctic Circle. We speak with Brenda Ekwurzel, senior climate scientist and director of climate science for the Climate and Energy Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.


video and more..
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/8/2/climate_scientist_california_wildfires_are_faster

[BigmanPigman]

1. There was an article about a few of the best and worst places

to settle down and live if you are concerned about climate change. PBS had a scientist/meteorologist on as a guest since they are doing research. He reiterated an article I read on DU this past weekend. Basically since 1970 the fire season in CA has been extended 78 days and will continue to grow, like Gov Brown stupid last week. There are not only going to be extremes in weather but the patterns will stay in place longer and not pass through as quickly as they used to. Heat waves will be 1-2 weeks instead of a few days. The jet stream is out of whack and is "stuck" in place and this causes massive problems with long term periods of extreme weather. The water temps in S Calif are rising breaking record and this increases humidity. The humidity now is almost the same as NY and Phila. making Summers uncomfortable. Also, if people on earth disappeared tomorrow and the planet was able to begin to restore the atmosphere back to normal it would take several decades to a century to accomplish this.

[JayhawkSD]

3. Humidities are not high in San Diego.

Water temps hitting near 80, but humidity 55%-65% at the coast, and 45% or so as little as two or three miles inland and 30% in the mountains. That's actually lower than is usual for the monsoon season. No thunderstorms for the past week.

Humidity expected to rise this week, but due to monsoon moisture pushed up from the Gulf of California, not from Pacific, and onshore winds next week are forecast to bring drier air and lower humidity.

[BigmanPigman]

4. That was what a local news meteorologist said

last week.

[JayhawkSD]

5. News meteorologists are not scientists

They, like the "news anchors," are entertainers.

When the jet stream is on top of us it brings a "zonal flow" onshore accompanied by ocean moisture, but it is usually to cold at the surface to do much in the way of humidity. It is, however, the source of whatever rain we get. Very little, since our average annual rainfall is less than that of Tucson AZ.

When the jet stream is to the north of us the onshore flow is adaibatic, caused by temperature difference between land and sea, and is far too weak to bring any significant ocean moisture inland - not more than a mile or two. This has been the case for several weeks, with a few pulses of moisture from the southeast (Baja Gulf), but mostly just a high pressure sitting on us and no significant zonal winds onshore or offshore.

We do get monsoon rains, as Arizona does, but that moisture, moving northwest out of the Gulf of California, often out of the Gulf of Mexico actually, is mostly stopped by our mountains. We get higher humidities at that time, July-August, but the thunderstorms seldom make it down to the coastal valleys. And humidities are higher, but not all that high. Nothing like Florida. Maybe 75% at the coast and 55% inland.

We've had more than a dozen fires start, but with no winds to drive them, firefighters have been able to jump on them and prevent them from getting going.

[JayhawkSD]

2. A minor point, but the Carr fire is not the worst fire.

The Mendicino Complex fire is bigger and spreading faster, is now the second worst fire in CA history, and by tomorrow will be the worst ever.