Tag Archive for: Wildfire

‘Long-Duration’ Heat Wave Again Cooking California, Raising Health and Wildfire Concerns

/in , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Grace Toohey

Another bout of prolonged heat has kicked off across California and much of the West, expected to again bring several days of triple-digit temperatures to most inland areas.

July’s second major heat wave isn’t forecast to be as extreme as the last event, which set several all-time records for high temperatures. Nevertheless, the National Weather Service predicted that it will be a “long-duration heat wave,” which creates uniquely dangerous conditions — especially when temperatures barely drop at night.

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Olivenhain Municipal Water District Logo landscape design workshops

Cultivate and Protect: Free Permaculture Gardening and Wildfire Preparedness Workshop

/in /by

Encinitas, Calif.— Olivenhain Municipal Water District, in partnership with Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District, invites the public to attend a free workshop on permaculture gardening and wildfire safety. This workshop will be held on August 15 at 5:30 p.m. at Elfin Forest Interpretive Center Honoring Susan J. Varty located at 8833 Harmony Grove Road in Escondido.

Josh Robinson of SD Sustainable will discuss methods to reduce outdoor water use through permaculture gardening design. Permaculture gardening mimics nature to garden organically, provides habitat for wildlife, and creates a low-maintenance, water-efficient garden. Participants will learn about designing ecologically functional gardens, and food forestry, and discover examples of San Diego ecosystem gardens.

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Regional Partnerships Can Bring a Refreshing Solution to Aging Water Infrastructure

/in , , /by /Route Fifty by Kaitlyn Levinson

The Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fire last year burned more than 340,000 acres in northern New Mexico, leaving the air smoky, the land barren and water systems clogged with ash. To this day, water pollution continues to put the health of more than 13,000 residents of Las Vegas, New Mexico, at risk.

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How Wildfires Are Threatening Colorado Water Supplies — and Costing Lots of Money

/in , , /by /Denver Post by Elise Schmelzer

The Colorado River this spring ran high, fast and so full of sediment pushed downstream from wildfire burn scars that the water treatment plant in Hot Sulphur Springs couldn’t keep up.

The sediment repeatedly clogged the town’s intake valves, forcing town leaders to issue and emergency order in April and call for residents to voluntarily cut back on water use.

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The Cruelest Summer Yet? California Is Facing Drought, Heat, Power Outages and Fires — All at Once

/in , , /by /San Francisco Chronicleby Kurtis Alexander

The Cruelest Summer Yet? California Is Facing Drought, Heat, Power Outages and Fires — All at Once

Even with the upheaval of the pandemic mostly behind us, the menace of drought and rising temperatures is threatening to derail the return to normal.

This year’s extraordinarily dry, warm weather, which is expected to continue in the coming months, is stoking fears of a multitude of problems: increasing water restrictions, extreme heat, power outages, wildfire and smoke — potentially all of the above in one vicious swoop.

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Conditions Are Ripe for High Wildfire Season Come September

/in , , /by /Patchby MacKenzie Elmer Quoted: San Diego County Water Authority

The U.S. national drought early-warning information system, called NIDIS, gave a rundown Thursday on when much of the Southwest will experience conditions that heighten the potential for wildfire.

Drought is one of the main drivers because less water means drier soils, drier plants and drier air, all conditions that fuel wildfire.

According to NIDIS projections, above-average wildfire potential creeps into the San Diego region (mostly along mountain ridges or high altitudes where winds are strong and fuel is plentiful) come September.

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1 in 6 Americans Live in Areas With Significant Wildfire Risk

/in , /by /The Washington Postby John Muyskens, Andrew Ba Tran, Naema Ahmed and Anna Phillips

When a wildfire tore through drought-stricken towns near Boulder, Colo., late last year, it reminded Americans that fire risk is changing. It didn’t matter that it was winter. It didn’t matter that many of the more than 1,000 homes and other structures lost sat in suburban subdivisions, not forested enclaves. The old rules no longer applied.

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Western Slope Snowpack Rises Above Average but Forecast for Eastern Plains Remains “Bleak”

/in , , /by /The Denver Postby Conrad Swanson

Snowfall in western Colorado elevated some snowpack levels to above-average conditions but that snowy weather must continue for it to recharge the parched soil, diminishing streams and low reservoir levels, climate data shows.

While the Western Slope is in much better shape than it was in early December, Becky Bolinger, a climatologist with Colorado State University, said the eastern portion of the state hasn’t been so fortunate. There, wildfire risk persists and crops and livestock could suffer from the lack of moisture, she said.

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The American West Went Through Climate Hell in 2021. But There’s Still Hope

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Sammy Roth

To visualize the hellishness of the climate crisis in 2021, look no further than General Sherman, the world’s largest tree, wrapped in fire-resistant foil to protect the legendary giant sequoia from flames burning a path of destruction through the Sierra Nevada.

California’s so-called Ancient Ones evolved with fire. It’s crucial to their reproductive cycle. But they aren’t prepared for blazes like those of the last year, which are burning hotter and more intensely as Earth warms, mostly because of the combustion of fossil fuels. Last year, flames killed roughly 10% of the world’s giant sequoias.

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It Isn’t Your Imagination. This Summer in California Is the Hottest Ever Recorded

/in , /by /The Sacramento Beeby Dale Kasler

Drought. Wildfires. And, for the country as a whole, temperatures worse than the Dust Bowl.

In a further bit of evidence of the reality of climate change, California has just experienced its hottest summer on record, according to data released this week by the federal government.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the average temperature in California reached 77.3 degrees from June to August. That topped the previous record of 76.5 degrees in summer 2017.

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