Climate-driven changes create conditions where WILDFIRES become more frequent, even in winter

LOS Angeles is still grappling with blazes that killed 27 people so far, burnt over 12,000 structures and forced more than two lakh people to evacuate.

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Wildfire expert at Climate Central, Kaitlyn Trudeau, tells Jitendra Choubey in an email interview that a range of climate change factors from lesser precipitation to fragile urban infrastructure, was responsible for the increased intensity of the fires. Kaitlyn had also worked as a cartographer for California state Parks.

1 What triggered the wildfires that spread to the affluent neighbourhood of Pacific Palisades of California in winter?

While the exact cause of the wildfires is still under investigation, we know that the situation was exacerbated by what we call “fire weather” – hot, dry, and windy weather that come together to set the stage for extreme fire behaviour. Prolonged drought conditions, driven by climate change, have left vegetation dry and highly flammable. Extreme heatwaves, which are now longer and occur with greater frequency and intensity due to human-caused climate change, further increase the risk of ignition and extreme fire behaviour. Additionally, as we saw this week, strong winds can play a significant role in both fanning the flames and creating new fires, as they can blow embers a considerable distance from the original fire.

2 How do scientists see abnormal wind events? Did the local met office issue any early warning signs or advisories?

The santa Ana winds are strong, seasonal winds that commonly occur in this area in the winter months. They are known for being intense but nothing like what we saw on Tuesday night (January 7). Wind speeds of 100 mph blew through the region (similar to a Category 3 hurricane), which then caused all firefighting aircraft to be grounded as it was too dangerous to fly.