Wednesday September 30th… Dear Diary. The main purpose of this ongoing blog will be to track United States extreme or record temperatures related to climate change. Any reports I see of ETs will be listed below the main topic of the day. I’ll refer to extreme or record temperatures as ETs (not extraterrestrials).😉
Main Topic: “Fire Raisins”…A New Product From Climate Change
Dear Diary: For the last month during western heatwaves I dubbed “Chort” and now “Desdemona,” I have been using Daniel Swaim’s Twitter feed to get some of the best and latest news on the horror occurring in California because of western wildfires. Daniel is an extremely intelligent, young climate scientist who will be dealing with the climate crisis through his reports and research long after I’ve expired. It is his generation that will be living past the year 2050 that will see the true tragedy wrought by my generation’s delay toward renewables.
Anyway, due to current fires in California’s famed vineyards as of 2020, we are seeing a relatively new phenomenon on Danial’s feed…instant “fire raisins.” Just take a look and think about the future horror that this picture entails for humanity and our planet due to extra heat wrought by greenhouse gas pollution:
The western ridge is a little stronger and more stubborn to give way than models predicted on Sunday. Here is what Daniel has noted for the mid-week period:
As far as how carbon pollution enhances California’s heat and thus fire problems, here are a couple of Daniel’s recent notes:
Speaking of drying vegetation leading to fire raisins, here is an interview reposted from Daniel…Doctor “Weather West:”
Quoted from the above link:
Wildfires are nothing new for Californian residents. Many have become accustomed to the warnings, evacuations and devastation. The blazes currently moving through the state, however, are different. Smoke and soot rendered certain portions of Californian air the dirtiest in the world last week. And with the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing, mounting an adequate response has become fatally complicated.
California relies on prison labor for its fire crews, and as COVID-19 has spread through corrections facilities, those able to staff the crews are few in number. Some residents are mounting ill-advised efforts to fight the blazes themselves, despite orders to evacuate.
The cause of the wildfires is thought to be the ignition of dry brush struck by lightning. The state recorded one of its driest ever winters this year. And an unusually hot spring meant that conditions were perfect for unprecedented blazes. Scientists believe these conditions will continue to recur as the effects of climate change progress.
How can Californians stay safe? How can future wildfires be prevented?
Please click on the picture from the above article to hear an interview from Daniel Swain from a good podcast provided by Kathryn Fink.
Today I will be listing items from California’s dire fire and Heatwave Desdemona situation below. The most recent items, which I will be updating frequently, will be at the top of this list:
Here are some hot “ET’s” recorded Wednesday from Heatwave Desdemona:
Here is more climate and weather news from Wednesday:
(As usual, this will be a fluid post in which more information gets added during the day as it crosses my radar, crediting all who have put it on-line. Items will be archived on this site for posterity. In most instances click on the pictures of each tweet to see each article. The most noteworthy items will be listed first.)
Now here are some of today’s articles and notes on the horrid COVID-19 pandemic:
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Guy Walton “The Climate Guy”