This September more than two million acres have burned across California state. According to the California Department of Forestry and fire protection this year surpasses 2018 with record breaking numbers. Many believed it was dry weather conditions that started these fires. Later, the California fire department found out that a gender revel party was happening in the area where the fire started. They are speculating that something from the revel might have caught fire and caused a massive spread.
Firefighting teams in Western states are battling flames that have burned more than five million acres this year.
Following the fires, high temperatures and strong winds made the fires even worse. Heat waves baked Southern California hitting a record of 121 degrees. Death Valley recently reached 130 degrees, which confirmed would be the highest temperature ever reliably recorded on the planet. Thousands of residents were evacuated from their homes seeking refuge in shelters. Many of the people don’t have insurance to cover the damage of their houses and don’t have the money to rebuild their houses from scratch.
Why does California have such catastrophic wildfires? First of all California has a different climate compared to the other 50 states. California, like most of western states, gets most of its moisture in the fall and winter. Vegetation spends much of the summer slowly drying out as there is lack of rainfall and warmer temperatures. The vegetation serves as a kindle for fires. The fact that so many fires are burning and it’s still early in wildfire season is alarming for many states. Climate change is more prevalent every year, but I think 2020 will the one that environmentalist’s take notes on.
With multiple fires burning at once, California is facing toxic air. California residents post pictures from their homes as the sky lit up blood orange from the current fires. No one knows how long the poor air quality could last, but scientists recommend checking The air quality index before learning the house. Exposer from this air is very harmful to the human body. Healthy impacts from wildfires can seem almost immediately in things like increased cardiac and respiratory distress.
California burns every year, but 2020 marks the most destruction. Climate change is driving the severity of the fires and how big they get. California is one of the main states that is experiencing major climate changes. With the fires burning in the west coast, the east coast faced some climate changes also. The sun was blocked by clouds for a good 3 days. One night the moon lit up orange and another day the sun was completely unrecognizable. It’s truly fascinating how one major event can alter other climates across the country.
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