Dry and windy weather in California threatens new forest fires

The disastrous path of Hurricane Dorian from the Bahamas to Canada has become another reminder of the destructive power of winds in storms, strong winds also create problems in California, but there is a different threat there.

Photo: Twitter screenshot

Predictions of strong winds in Southern California this week reinforced fears that the state's fire season could go into a destructive, even deadly mode.

In southern California, a steady wind is expected until Tuesday at a speed of 20-30 miles per hour (32-48 km / h) with gusts of up to 50 miles per hour (80 km / h), which will increase the fire hazard in an area that was ravaged by last years.

“We have strong high pressure off the coast, — AccuWeather meteorologist Jake Soyda said — which will cause us to get high winds in some valleys in Santa Barbara, Ventura counties and even along the coast to San Diego.”

On the subject: Hurricane Dorian caused dozens of tornadoes: destroyed houses, at risk hundreds of thousands of Americans. PHOTO, VIDEO

The wind not only burns oxygen, but also dries the vegetation and makes it more combustible. In addition, the wind makes fire more unpredictable and difficult to contain, affecting its speed.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Department website does not show large fires in the areas that Soidah mentioned. The largest of them was a fire Tenaja in Riverside County, which as of Sunday morning destroyed 1 940 acres.

But in the past two years, two major fires broke out in Ventura County — Woolsey and Thomas, who also burned large parts of Santa Barbara County. Both are among the 10 California most devastating fires.

Photo: Twitter screenshot

Unusually wet winters, late spring rainfalls and summer temperatures in the west, which were 2-7 degrees below normal, contributed to a slower start of the fire season than last year.

During 1 September 2018 year Department of Forestry and Fire Protection recorded 4241 fire and 622 654 burnt acres. The 2019 indicators for the year declined markedly to 3757 and 28183.

On the subject: Landfall and hundreds of people trapped: Dorian continues to devastate in the United States. A PHOTO. VIDEO

However, it is too early to celebrate. In a monthly forecast report by the National Inter-Agency Fire Center, published on September 1, California was among the few states that received less than 25% of the average rainfall in August.

This fall, warmer and drier conditions are expected than usual. Although fire activity in Northern California is expected to decrease in October, the southern state may not be out of risk until December.

Photo: Twitter screenshot

"It's quite early to tell what will happen during the fire season, especially because exactly where fires develop and where they go has a huge impact on how the season is perceived." — Soida said. “There can be huge fires in the Sierra that affect no one and no one notices.” Whereas if it is a small fire but in populated areas it is — catastrophe".

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