Tuesday, September 5, 2017

Over 58 wildfires burning in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada and Arizona

From that fire map I'm looking at I see presently:
 one or two in Arizona
4 in Nevada
at least 15 in California
14 or 15 in Oregon
21 in Idaho
about 14 in Washington

So, it is possible to come into the United States in a Car or Truck
and breathe smoke from Vancouver coming south all the way to Mexico at this point if you are driving on Interstate 5 from Canada to Mexico through the U.S.

And the same heading north from Mexico heading to Canada.

You might ask "Why are there so many wildfires?"

Once one starts if there are blowing winds of over 10 to 15 miles per hour embers from one first might blow 10, 20, or even 30 miles and land and start other fires and this is one of the ways fires start this time of year.

Another way is thunderstorms. This time of year to the east of the Rockies most places might still be wet from rain and not burn many places. However, we don't usually get enough rain out of thunderstorms west of Colorado to stop the fires from lightning strikes from about June on until maybe October or Norvember. So, if lightning strikes a forest anywhere west of say Colorado  you are pretty sure going to have a fire unless you are in a desert that has nothing at all to burn (or the things that burn are not connected to each other close enough.)

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