The US forest fire season is now three months longer than it was half a century ago. The authorities fear another record year for 2021.
The recent heat wave in the western United States has not only set new temperature records in many places with values between 40 and 50 degrees Celsius – especially in California. Authorities also fear the state could see another record year of forest fires. According to the “Cal Fire” authority, more than three times as much area was destroyed by flames from January to July 11th as in the same period in 2020. At that time, California had a record fire season that lasted until October. More than 30 people were killed and over 10,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed.
Worries are compounded by a rapidly spreading forest fire near the famous Yosemite National Park. The so-called river fire had quickly grown to an area of 32 square kilometers, the authorities said on Monday afternoon. Around 500 helpers fought the fire in the districts of Madera County and Mariposa, 30 kilometers from the national park. Several hundred residents had to leave their homes. Last September, the Yosemite Valley had to close to guests for a week because of dense smoke in the region. The national park, which is known for its waterfalls and huge granite rocks, attracts millions of visitors every year.
Heat around the world: Central Europe has so far been spared an extreme summer. Hotspots are reported from other regions, the intensity of which could have something to do with global warming. In Lapland in Northern Finland, for example, a peak temperature of 33.6 degrees was recently measured. In other parts of the country it was ten to 15 degrees warmer than usual. According to the meteorologist, this is related to the heat build-up in Northwest America.
For the regions on the US west coast, forest and bush fires are actually nothing unusual. For many ecosystems that only developed with the natural fires, they are even important in order to remain stable. What is undisputed, however, is that the frequency and size of fires has increased in recent decades. Across the United States, the forest fire season is now three months longer than it was half a century ago. In parts of California in particular, the forest and bush regions burn almost all year round, leaving a few weeks in deep winter. In 2019, statistics from the forest authority showed that 15 of the 20 most destructive fires had occurred there since 2000.
Weather expert: Inside, the latest heat wave, which is forecast to subside from Tuesday, was due to an exceptionally large and strong high pressure area over the California-Nevada border, which caused temperatures to rise ten to 15 degrees above normal. Such events are typical for this time of year. Climate experts warn, however, that they are becoming more frequent and more intense. “120 degrees in Palm Springs, that’s not normal,” said Ivory Small, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego. 120 degrees Fahrenheit is equivalent to 48.8 degrees Celsius. A good 47 degrees were measured on Saturday in Las Vegas, in California’s Death Valley, which is notorious for its heat, even more than 54 degrees.
Only at the beginning of the month did a heat wave hit western Canada and the northwest of the USA with temperatures of almost 50 degrees. The heat had contributed to numerous deaths. In the Canadian community of Lytton, around 260 kilometers northeast of Vancouver, 49.6 degrees had been measured – previously the record in Canada was 45 degrees. A study by climate experts showed that a heat wave of this magnitude would have been practically impossible without climate change. Co-author Friederike Otto from Oxford University said: “What we see is unprecedented. It’s not normal for heat records to be broken by four or five degrees Celsius. ”The new heat wave fits into the pattern.
