California fires at least they’re already gone Five dead, 130,000 people evacuated and about 11,000 hectares of land burned. Unfortunately, the damage figures will continue to increase until the sources of the fire are completely extinguished, and the reality is that Santa Ana winds They don’t make it easy.
This meteorological phenomenon is considered partially responsible for starting the fires in California; but now it’s also making it harder for firefighters trying to put a stop to it. This is not something new. It is estimated that this occurs on average 10 times per year in Southern California. This most often occurs in autumn and winter, but also in early spring. Sometimes they expand from September to April.
They always tend to be dry windbut not necessarily as much as it is now. Climate change has also played a role in the fires in California, and unfortunately, there is nothing to rule out the possibility of them happening again.
What are the Santa Ana winds like?
Santa Ana winds are strong wind gusts that occur in Southern California. They come from Great Basin and Mojave Desertthis is why they tend to be very dry winds.
The wind always forms pressure drops. In this case, the following happens: the pressure remains very high in a large poolbut a lot below the shore. Air masses move from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure. The greater the pressure difference, the stronger the wind will be. In this region of the United States, the pressure difference is very large, which is why the Santa Ana winds are so strong.
Another factor that sets Santa Ana winds apart from other similar episodes is dry air. As air descends, it compresses and heats up. In addition, its relative humidity drops to almost zero. That’s why the winds are so dry.
What do they have to do with the fires in California?
Fires in California started last year. January 7 in Altadena. This is a particularly dry area where the slightest spark can cause a fire. It is unknown what the spark might have been, but it is known that the Santa Ana winds played a very significant role in the disaster that occurred and continues to occur.
On average, Santa Ana winds typically reach speed from 50 to 65 kilometers per hour. However, in early January, strong winds were recorded in Altadena. almost 130 kilometers per hour. It was this particularly fast Santa Ana wind that started the fire. As everything dried up around them and the wind gave them wings, the fire began to spread like a forest fire.
It’s not just the Santa Ana winds.
As we have already seen, Santa Ana winds are always composed of very dry air. Not just crossing the Mojave Desert as it formed. Also due to the sudden loss of relative humidity during descent.
However, this time of year in Southern California there is usually enough moisture to contain a possible fire. We already know that forest fires usually happen in the summer when things are much drier.
Unfortunately, climate change is causing rainfall to reach extreme levels. In some places they call floodswhile others suffer terrible drought. The latter is what is happening in this area of the United States. The fires in California are largely due to drought caused by climate change.
Nature usually has no compassion, and people even less so. If we add the consequences of anthropogenic climate change to such a natural phenomenon, the result will be devastating.
Source: Hiper Textual
