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Why is LA Fire Spreading Drastically? Is it Weather-Induced? All are curious to know the answers of such types of questions. Till now, many reasons have been associated with this unfortunate happening, but nothing is conclusive yet.
A perspective towards the reason of spreading the fire is related to the weather conditions. Wildfires are rapidly spreading across Los Angeles, driven by strong Santa Ana winds, low humidity, and dry vegetation due to limited rainfall.
Los Angeles, USA is battling at least five active fires, including the Palisades Fire, which expanded from 10 acres to over 17,000 acres in just three days. Similarly, the Eaton Fire has grown to more than 10,600 acres in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, according to Cal Fire.
The causes of the largest fires remain under investigation, as reported by Cal Fire. The conditions are highly conducive to fire outbreaks. The National Weather Service in Los Angeles warned that low humidity and strong winds, reaching up to 100 mph in some areas, are fueling massive blazes with extreme fire behavior.
What are Santa Ana winds?
One of the nation’s most infamous wind phenomena has intensified the destructive wildfires.
The Santa Ana winds, typically occurring in fall and winter, drive dry air from California’s inland deserts and the Southwest toward the coast, according to the National Weather Service. As high-pressure systems move east to west over the Santa Ana Mountains, the winds compress and become warm.
A high-pressure system over the Great Basin, east of the Sierra Nevada, combined with a storm in northwestern Mexico, created conditions for strong winds across Southern California starting Tuesday, explained AccuWeather meteorologist Gwen Fieweger. The canyons and valleys in the Santa Monica and San Gabriel Mountains act as funnels for the Santa Ana winds, further accelerating wildfire spread in these mountainous regions.
Janice Coen, a project scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, added that these winds dry out vegetation on mountain ridges and can carry embers over long distances, enabling fires to spread rapidly.
U.S. Draught Monitor Report: Why is LA Fire Spreading Drastically?
Exceptionally dry season becomes the reason of rapid spread of the fires.
According to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor, over 83% of Los Angeles County is experiencing drought conditions. AccuWeather reported that Los Angeles has not seen even a quarter of an inch of rain since April.
Several wet winters enabled vegetation to thrive, but the ongoing drought has turned it into a vast supply of dry fuel, explains Heather Zehr, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather.
Additionally, extremely low humidity accelerates the drying of vegetation, making it more flammable and ideal for fueling fires.
“This dramatic shift from very wet to very dry conditions can create more extreme scenarios, likely influenced by climate change,” said Zehr.
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