Accelerating California Fires A Preview Of A State 3F Warmer Than Today By 2050
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The blazes threaten to outpace the state's ability to respond. Nearly all of Cal Fire's crews are in the field, with some working 72-hour shifts. Oregon, Washington, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and other states sent firefighters, equipment or both. Officials said more than 13,000 fire personnel were on the scene. "We have more people, but it's not enough," Newsom said at a Friday news conference. "We have more air support, but it's not enough."
Repeat fire trauma
Fires erupted beginning Aug. 15 when more than 1,200 lightning strikes hit the baking landscape within 72 hours. Those came "the exact week that we were experiencing some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded in human history, 130-degree temperatures in the southern part of the state," Newsom said. It was "maybe the hottest modern recorded temperature in the history of the world," he said.
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Swain with UCLA and other scientists earlier this year published a study that said climate change has doubled the number of extreme-risk days for California wildfires. It said temperatures statewide rose 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit since 1980, while precipitation dropped 30%. That doubled the number of autumn days that offer extreme conditions for the ignition of wildfires (Climatewire, April 3).
The heat is expected to get worse with time. Climate models estimate that average state temperatures will climb 3 degrees Fahrenheit by 2050 unless the world makes sharp cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, said Michael Wehner, a senior scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Even with emissions cuts, average temperatures would rise 2 degrees by midcentury, he said.
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https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063712287