Authorities in Western states say wildfire danger has increased due to the prolonged heatwave, which has robbed the environment of moisture, set new temperature records, and endangered lives. However, weather experts predicted on Thursday that the weekend would bring some reprieve.
More than 3,500 wildfires have been put out in California this year, destroying almost 325 square miles, according to the state’s top fire officer. This is five times the average area burnt through July 10th in the previous five years.
The head of California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Joe Tyler, said during a press conference that the state is experiencing a fire year, not simply a fire season. The problem has been worsened by winds and the current heat wave, which has consumed thousands of acres.
Firefighters in California battled multiple wildfires despite the sweltering heat and low humidity. One of the fires, which was 53 square miles in size, persisted and forced the evacuation of approximately 200 homes in the Santa Barbara County mountains.
Two consecutive rainy winters rescued the state of California from drought. These winters produced an abundance of grasses that have now dried up, and the fires started in earnest in early June. According to forecasts, thunderstorms in the Sierra Nevada this weekend might bring back the danger of lightning strikes that started some of the fires in June.
Since July 9th, the Larch Creek Fire in Oregon has spread 17 square miles , and firefighters have been battling it nonstop. Although their efforts were being aided by cooler weather and diminishing winds, the local fire risk rating remained very high. Burn injuries required medical attention for one fireman.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), heat warnings were issued throughout portions of southeast Texas due to a mix of factors, including power outages caused by Hurricane Beryl and heat readings reaching up to 106 degrees. Hot weather was predicted to persist through July 12th in the western US, where several places set new heat records last weekend before cooling.
The “urban heat islands,” according to experts, may make already hot weather much worse.
An urban heat island, where the temperature is greater in a densely populated location than in the surrounding countryside, may be seen in New York City’s downtown. The air temperature in a city with 1 million people may be 1.8-5.4 degrees Fahrenheit higher than the surrounding area.
