The fires here in California, Oregon and elsewhere in the West have finally captured international attention, as well as their dire relationship to the future of the climate crisis. I'll have more to say about that anon.
In the meantime, there's a pretty good summary in the Guardian, particularly on how the fires are destroying towns and encroaching on cities. David Wallace Wells at New York describes the past week, especially in California, and suggests the specific forest issues pose a daunting future, to say the least.
These articles reveal relevant forest practices and population movements into fire-prone areas because of prohibitive costs of living in and around cities, but they also describe the stunning new qualities and ferocity of these fires, including the "firenadoes" and resulting massive smoke plumes.
Here in Arcata on Saturday it was a gloomy day pervaded by fog, seemingly a normal day if it were winter. However the fog disguised the smoke, and the air quality was deemed the worst it has been so far.
The fire closest to us has slowed, and hasn't yet made it into Humboldt County itself, but remains well to the south.
Some clearing of the air is expected to start tomorrow or Monday, and be well underway by Tuesday. We might even see some cleansing rain Tuesday or Wednesday. By then attention should swivel away to hurricanes on the Atlantic Coast. But that doesn't mean the fires will go away here. There's word that some Oregon fires may burn into the winter. The short term forecast for the fire areas is also for cooler temperatures and maybe some moisture next week.
In the beforetimes, our rainy season began in late October or November. This year who knows? It may not come at all. Or--I keep getting the perhaps wishful feeling--it may come early, and give us some wet months. In the meantime, it's another reason to stay inside.
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