Thursday, October 1, 2020

How California’s Diablo Winds Could Worsen Wildfires

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https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/01/us/diablo-winds-wildfire.html

How California’s Diablo Winds Could Worsen Wildfires

Strong, gusty winds could hamper firefighting efforts by fanning flames that have already destroyed tens of thousands of acres in the northern part of the state.

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Forecasters and fire officials warned that strong, dry gusts, known as Diablo winds, could worsen the Glass Fire. The fire has burned more than 50,000 acres in California’s Napa and Sonoma Counties.CreditCredit...Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group, via Associated Press

Millions of acres in California have already burned during this year’s California wildfire season. But forecasters say that hot, dry air known as Diablo winds in portions of Northern California could make fires even more destructive.

As the Glass Fire consumes more than 50,000 acres in Napa and Sonoma Counties, forecasters and fire officials, worried that these intense winds could make the fire worse or that others could spread more rapidly, are warning residents to be careful not to spark new flames.

“All we need is one little ember, and we can get a really big fire going,” said Gerry Diaz, a National Weather Service meteorologist in San Francisco.

Here’s what we know about Diablo winds.

The winds, which take their name from the Diablo mountain range southeast of San Francisco, blow down toward the Pacific Ocean from higher elevations in the northeast, according to Jake Sojda, a meteorologist at AccuWeather. They are similar to Santa Ana winds in Southern California, he added.

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Diablo winds can happen at any time in the year, but they typically peak in October and November.

As the winds race down the mountains, they speed into valleys and lower terrain areas, Mr. Diaz said. They blow from hot and arid inland areas toward the coast, getting drier as they move.

Gusts from the winds making their way down Mount Diablo can be rapid, sometimes reaching speeds over 90 miles per hour.

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Diablo winds have helped fuel and balloon the Glass Fire, according to Roger Gass, a National Weather Service meteorologist in San Francisco. California firefighters are concerned about how the winds could worsen the fire, which started on Sunday and has already burned more than 50,000 acres in Napa and Sonoma Counties.

The Glass Fire was only 5 percent contained on Thursday and its cause was still under investigation, according to Cal Fire, the state’s fire agency. Emergency officials have issued evacuation orders affecting thousands. Over 200 structures have already been destroyed.

Meteorologists said these strong gusts of wind, in conjunction with already precarious wildfire conditions in the state, could make a bad wildfire season worse as the winds fan flames and spread embers.

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Diablo winds helped exacerbate some recent fires, including last year’s Kincade Fire and the deadly Camp Fire in 2018.

The Kincade Fire, which burned more than 77,000 acres in Sonoma County, started with already windy conditions and spread rapidly, according to Lynne Tolmachoff, a Cal Fire spokeswoman.

The Camp Fire was one of the deadliest wildfires in California’s history, killing 85 people and destroying more than 18,000 structures. Mr. Sojda said the fire swept through one town in a matter of hours, largely because of strong wind gusts.

“Weather-wise, any type of wind is bad when these fires get going,” Mr. Sojda said.

While the weather was cooperative over the past few days, firefighters focused on containing the Glass Fire and slowing the spread as best they could in areas that would be most affected by the winds, Ms. Tolmachoff said. But the terrain has proved to be challenging, she added.

Once gusts reach 25 m.p.h., firefighting becomes tough, she said, and firefighters typically pivot to work on evacuations until weather conditions improve.

“They will get tested by those winds just like the very first day that fire started,” she said.

California Wildfires
Two Enormous California Fires Rage Unchecked in State’s Northern Counties
Sept. 29, 2020
Why Does California Have So Many Wildfires?
Wildfires Bring New Devastation Across the West
Sept. 9, 2020

Christina Morales is a reporter covering national breaking news for the Express desk. She is also a member of the 2020-21 New York Times fellowship class.  @Christina_M18

 

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CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES Red flag warning issued for parts of Northern California as crews battle Glass Fire

 

Red flag warning issued for parts of Northern California as crews battle Glass Fire

The Glass Fire in Napa and Sonoma counties, which began Sunday, has burned more than 56,000 acres. It is only 5 percent contained.
Glass Fire Napa California
A firefighter uses a drip torch as the Glass Fire slowly creep across a clearing along Silverado Trail on Sept. 29, 2020 in Calistoga, Calif.Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Red flag warning issued for parts of Northern California as crews battle Glass Fire


CALIFORNIA WILDFIRES Red flag warning issued for parts of Northern California as crews battle Glass Fire

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https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/red-flag-warning-issued-parts-northern-california-crews-battle-glass-n1241728

By Minyvonne Burke

Some areas of Northern California are under a red flag warning for low humidity and wind gusts as firefighters continue to battle the Glass Fire in wine country.

The warning was issued beginning Thursday afternoon for North and South Bay, central Mendocino County, western Monterey County, and most of the Los Padres National Forest. It will continue through much of Friday, officials said in a press release.

"High temperatures also persist, adding to the critical fire weather danger. A slight cooling trend is not expected until later in the weekend or early next week," the release stated.

One wildfire burning across the northern part of the state is the Glass Fire in Napa and Sonoma counties. The blaze, which began Sunday, has burned more than 56,000 acres, as of Thursday. It is only 5 percent contained and its cause is still being investigated, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

Glass Fire
The remains of a golf cart burned by the Glass Fire at a Napa Valeey vineyard in Calistoga, Calif., on Sept. 30, 2020.Samuel Corum / AFP - Getty Images

About 70,000 people were under evacuation orders in the wine region and at least 80 homes along with other buildings were destroyed in the fire, NBC Bay Area reports. Two firefighters were forced to take cover in fire shelters while battling the inferno in Napa County on Sunday.

Fire officials told the outlet that "intense fire conditions" combined with wind gusts forced the firefighters "to take refuge … in the aluminized cloth tents that offer protection by reflecting radiant heat and providing a volume of breathable air."

The firefighters were not injured, officials said.

There are over 17,000 firefighters battling nearly 30 major wildfires across California. The infernos have claimed the lives of 30 people this year, with the most recent death being a man who was badly burned from the Zogg Fire in Shasta County.

Shasta County Sheriff Eric Magrini said Wednesday that the man was transported to a hospital but later died of his injuries.

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Four people, including the man, have been killed in the Zogg Fire, which has burned more than 55,000 acres and destroyed nearly 150 structures since it started Sunday. It was 26 percent contained as of Thursday afternoon.

Some officials in the state, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, have linked this year's unprecedented wildfire season to climate change.

"Climate change isn’t something to address in the distant future. The climate crisis is here," the governor tweeted Wednesday.

Earlier this month, Newsom said that since 1980, the average temperature in the state from June to September rose from around 71 degrees to about 74.

Five of the six largest wildfires in modern California history have occurred in August and September, according to Cal Fire. Among them are the LNU Lightning Complex fire and the SCU Lightning Complex fire, both of which began in August. In an update Thursday, fire officials said both complexes were 100 percent contained.

The cause of the fires remains under investigation.

Since the beginning of the year, there have been more than 8,100 wildfires that have scorched nearly 4 million acres in the state. Over 96,000 people are currently evacuated, according to officials.

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Glass and Zogg Fires less than 10% contained and threaten even more destruction

 

Glass and Zogg Fires less than 10% contained and threaten even more destruction

The Glass and Zogg fires in California have killed four people and torn through more than 100,000 acres in a matter of days, and they threaten to forever alter the lives of those still in their path.

a sunset over a fire: A house is seen burst into flames during the Zogg fire near the town of Igo.© Go Nakamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images A house is seen burst into flames during the Zogg fire near the town of Igo.

Already this fire season has produced five of the six largest wildfires in California's history. With unseasonably hot weather and no rain forecast for much of the state this week, authorities say there could be more fires still ahead. And the two major fires currently ablaze have run rampant since they were ignited early Sunday.

clouds in front of a sunset: Wildfire flames from the Glass Fire Incident are seen near Calistoga, California.© Chris Tuite/ImageSPACE/MediaPunch /IPX/Reuters Wildfire flames from the Glass Fire Incident are seen near Calistoga, California.

The Zogg Fire in Shasta and Tehama counties has grown to scorch 55,303 acres and is 26% contained, while the Glass Fire in Sonoma and Napa counties covers 56,781 acres and is 5% contained.

When Anna and David Matherly fled the Glass Fire and their dream home in the Skyhawk neighborhood, they thought they would never see it again.

"When we drove out and looked back, I told my son, Skyhawk is gone. They cannot stop this fire," David told CNN affiliate KGO.

On Tuesday they made the eight-mile hike to learn the fate of their home. Much to their relief, it was still standing, with two bottles of sparkling wine they left waiting in their refrigerator, KGO reported.

But elsewhere families are feeling intense loss from the blazes. Combined, the Zogg and Glass fires have already taken down at least 350 structures and tore through vineyards.

One man who was taken to the hospital with significant burns on the day the fire started has become the fourth person to die in the Zogg Fire.

Weather conditions fuel the fires

The blazes that began Sunday have been fueled by little rain, high temperatures and strong winds.

"The fire continues to burn in grass, oak woodland, chaparral, and mixed timber," a Cal Fire Incident update said Wednesday. "Hot and dry conditions are forecasted again for the evening with a northwest wind developing across the area."

The National Weather Service has warned that the hot weather will continue, issuing a heat advisory Tuesday for the region, with temperatures possibly reaching 105 degrees in the hottest locations. Nearly 30 million people in the state are under those heat advisories.

Red flag warnings were also issued in the North Bay area, where the Glass and Zogg fires exploded in a matter of hours, starting Wednesday night due to low humidity and breezy conditions anticipated overnight, NWS Bay Area said on Twitter Wednesday.

Wind will likely also push smoke from numerous fires to cover Napa and portions of the Bay area through at least Friday, the weather service said.

Firefighters received some good news Thursday as Cal Fire announced the massive SCU and LNU Lightning Complex Fires are now fully contained.

The SCU Lightning Complex Fire is the third largest in state history and scorched 396,220 acres in the Central Valley and Northern California. The LNU Lighting Complex Fire burned 363,220 acres in Northern California and is fourth largest fire in state history, Cal Fire said.

Fire crews overwhelmed by the blaze

Those on the front lines have been exhausted by a long season and by the fires themselves.

"Most of (the firefighters) been going since the middle of July, without rest from fire to fire to fire here in the northern part of the state," said Cal Fire Incident Commander Billy See.

And many have spent long hours working to get the Zogg and Glass fires under control.

A fast-moving blaze forced two firefighters to deploy shelters Sunday night as they were overtaken by intense conditions fueled by high winds, Cal Fire said in a release. The shelters are aluminized cloth tents that reflect radiant heat and offer breathable air.

The firefighters were uninjured but several transport vehicles were damaged.

"We still have months to go for fire season," said Cal Fire Unit Chief Shana Jones. "And that means that this could happen again. I pray to God it does not, but we still have a lot of fire season to go."

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Trump's taxes show why he *really* ran for president:Video

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Trump's taxes show why he *really* ran for president 

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Less Smoke today here in Mt. Shasta

 The smoke is thinning out a lot today because the winds are changing. So, trees I couldn't see through the smoke I now can see today in the distance. All of yesterday you couldn't see Mt. Shasta from the city of Mt. Shasta even though there were no clouds only smoke in the sky. I drove up to Bunny Flat with a friend so we could actually see the mountain which we could from there. They have closed the road to Panther Meadows up from Bunny Flat on Everitt Memorial Highway. And there is no camping allowed on the mountain in the national forest at all and no fires allowed too because we are in a drought now it appears once again which likely means more and or the same fires burning longer here in California unfortunately.

I haven't been able to open windows since I arrived here Tuesday Night from the SF Bay Area. I had hoped that I could open windows to get fresh air into the house by today but not sure yet that's good idea so far. It's still nice to be up here to see my friends who live in the area even though it's smoky. But, if we are riding in the same vehicle we all wear masks while traveling somewhere and leave the windows open to be safer.

Wearing a paper mask out in the smoke is a good idea especially if I'm taking a walk and helps protect my lungs from smoke particles in the air. So, wearing a mask has at least 2 uses while it's smoky.

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Coronavirus just stole everyone's old life on earth this year: 2019 will NEVER come again.

Coming to terms with this for some people will be impossible and so they don't wear masks worldwide because they are now still in denial of their old lives being stolen. We should get used to this. They are not interested in learning to adapt to their new lives (After Coronavirus) because that doesn't make any sense to them.

So, will they all survive this? No. But, some will just through shear dumb luck worldwide. And others of them will be gone like road kill in the era of coronavirus. So, maybe it's the same thing as animals not being aware of the rules of the road or something like that. It's sort of like watching people ride 100 mph down the road on a motorcycle without helmets on. Some will survive this and other's won't. It's really hard to say at this point. If you crash at 100 miles an hour there might be possibly a zero chance of surviving this but there are exceptions to every rule. This is important to understand in life.

So, how will you survive all these changes?

By looking at where all the changes are going and making the right choice to survive one more day, one more week, one more month until the coronavirus hopefully ends by say March of 2022 or something like that in the U.S. 

But, don't expect it to be over in all countries on earth then, just the U.S. and maybe Europe because some countries haven't been hit bad yet and might not be hit bad until the winter after this one. 

So, there is a remote possibility that this thing could still be going from country to country after 2022 until 2025 or even 2030. I hope this isn't true but we must prepare now for almost any eventuality just so any of us can survive this thing at all.

By God's Grace 

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