Relentless heat and fire tornadoes: wildfires engulf the west of the United States

As the intense heat continues to loom over the West, it is causing wildfires that cover hundreds of thousands of acres of land. In California, wildfires this year have surpassed the damage caused by last year's record fire season. The edition told in more detail Gizmodo.

Photo: Shutterstock

One of the fires in California over the weekend caused a fire tornado - the second in the state in three weeks. This shows the severity of the fires burning in the state and spreading across the West as a whole. Unfortunately, if there is more heat and humidity early in the week, fires could become more extreme.

Fire tornado

The Beckwourth Complex fire, consisting of two lightning-triggered fires on the eastern edge of the Plumas National Forest, north of Lake Tahoe, doubled late last week to become the state's largest fire of 2021, covering nearly 90 acres (000 hectares). ) as of Monday morning, July 36. The flames also caused a fire tornado on Saturday.

“It’s a f*cking tornado,” a firefighter can be heard screaming in a video posted to Instagram as people scramble for shelter inside vehicles as smoke and debris swirl around them.

On the subject: California faces a very active fire season: how to prepare

Fire tornadoes are also sometimes referred to as fire whirlwinds, although some meteorologists distinguish the term for smaller but still terrifying weather events with fires. They occur when large forest fires overheat the air. This makes the air rise. As it rises, it cools and condenses in the upper atmosphere, creating unstable conditions and air collisions that could trigger a tornado. Researchers are still studying the exact conditions that trigger fire tornadoes, but they are among the rarest extreme weather events in the world.

However, other footage, also released last week by the Forest Service, shows this isn't California's first fire tornado of the year. Video captured on June 29 shows a powerful tornado at the Tennant fire in Klamath National Forest near the Oregon state border.

Here is a video of a fire whirl from the #TennantFire on June 29th. After a survey from the IMET, this was likely the rotation our radar was picking up on the 29th. Credit to the US Forest Service for taking this video. #CAwx #fire #fire season pic.twitter.com/MMQLguZAZR

- NWS Medford (@NWSMedford) July 7, 2021

Wildfires in the West

Wildfires are not limited to California. In fact, the largest wildfire in the region currently is the Bootleg Fire in Oregon. This flame burns for six days straight. As of Monday morning, the fire had burned more than 150 acres (000 hectares).

On July 9, California Governor Gavin Newsom dispatched fire brigades to Oregon to help contain the fire. But hot and windy conditions in the state escalated on Saturday, July 10, forcing firefighters to move into predefined safety zones to avoid immediate, life-threatening risks.

As the flames threatened 3000 homes, nearby residents were forced to evacuate, and the danger was so severe that the Klamath County Sheriff's Department began issuing fines to people who refused to comply with evacuation orders.

The summer sizzle? is on out West as #wildfires ? rage on! Here the #BeckworthComplex fire Near Beckwourth, #California has burned over 24,000 acres & is 11% contained as of Friday evening. #CAwx #wildfires pic.twitter.com/00qi0q6E8y

- WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) July 10, 2021

The flames and heat endanger electrical infrastructure, and the Bootleg Fire also destroyed the Oregon-to-California power lines known as the California Oregon Intertie or Path 66. The lines are owned by PG&E, PacifiCorp, the Western Area Power Administration and the Transmission Agency.

The California system operator told reporters that a Bootleg Fire shut down the corridor, leaving the state with 5 megawatts less available power due to the intense heat.

Newsom signed decrees allowing the state to use standby generators and auxiliary marine engines to reduce the load on the power system. After officials urged residents to reduce their electricity consumption, Californians have saved enough electricity to withstand high energy demand and avoid massive blackouts.

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read it all on ForumDaily New York.

It's not just California and Oregon that suffer from wildfires caused by extreme heat. As of Monday morning, July 12, wildfires were burning over 768 acres (000 hectares) in 310 states. In Arizona, two firefighters who fought the Cedar Basin Fire in northwest Arizona were killed in a plane crash. Fires are also spreading across western Canada, forcing officials to prepare for "emergency action."

We have field correspondents in #California keeping us updated on conditions with the high #heat and #wildfires out west.

Make sure to stay tuned to find out if your area could be impacted! pic.twitter.com/177PDxa2ni

- WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) July 10, 2021

Climate scientists have been warning for decades that the world will see higher temperatures, more intense heat and devastating wildfires without transformative and urgent action to end the use of fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions to tackle the climate crisis. The bushfires are the latest sign that the climate crisis is nothing short of a huge problem. It's happening right here and right now.

Record heat

In the USA, one of the highest temperatures on Earth was recorded - the heat in Death Valley raised the thermometer to + 54 ° C, writes "LIGA.Novosti".

On Sunday, July 11, the US National Weather Service recorded a temperature of 130 degrees Fahrenheit (+ 54 ° C) in Death Valley. If this figure is verified, it will become one of the highest ever recorded on Earth.

The surface temperatures were even higher. One of the rangers recorded that the tarmac near the Visitor Center had reached 178 degrees Fahrenheit (+ 81,1 ° C), calling the heat "unrelenting."

Read also on ForumDaily:

Eight dangerous things that are illegal to throw away in the USA

What better saves from the heat: hot tea or ice cream

Top 15 cleanest lakes in the United States, after which you will not want to swim in the ocean

Six things not worth buying at discount stores

On diapers, sweets and the Internet: the strangest taxes in the US

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.