Northern California continues to battle the wildfire that had shaken 2020 amid the pandemic. Firefighters’ efforts to douse the fire face the air, which is so dry that the water is evaporating before hitting the ground. Blazing temperatures due to another heatwave call induced the issuance of warnings in inland and desert areas as the situation is expected to worsen over the weekend.
Death Valley National Park of California, located around 177km west of Las Vegas, Nevada, recorded 54 degrees Celsius temperature on Friday and Saturday. Upon verification, this number could exceed the highest ever registered since July 1913 as Furnace Creek desert area 57 degrees Celsius recorded. This is considered to be the highest reliably measured temperature on the planet.
The Beckwourth Complex- 2 fires induced by lightning- have run for over 72 km north of Lake Tahoe and seem in no mood to stop. After becoming double of what it was on Friday, the fire moved northeast from the Sierra Nevada Forest area.
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According to a local newspaper, The Mercury News, around 1,300 personnel were deployed to cease the fire from affecting the residential area on Saturday. A few evacuations were also ordered to avoid further unfortunate events. Though there is no verified news regarding building damages, about 2,800 people were issued evacuation orders and warnings while 518 sq km of Plumas National Forest were closed.
As per a forecast made on Twitter by the National Weather Service (NWS) Weather Prediction Center, a “record-breaking heat” will likely affect ‘much of the West and Southwest” region over the weekend.
The Centre said more than 31 million people have been issued an Excessive Heat Warning as Las Vegas’ historic 117F temperature is expected to increase further and take a high triple-digit number. The northern mountain region’s fire has already destroyed several homes following huge fires.
These wildfires come days after Canada’s west coast and the northwestern US reported record-high temperatures. Hundreds of people lost their lives due to the heat while the authorities opened cooling stations, urging citizens to remain indoors in cooler places.
This June was the hottest in 127 years and the weekend could send temperatures further up the scale, as per the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA), as 8 states recorded their highest-ever temperature in June while 6 others called it their second-highest.
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On Friday, things turned catastrophic in California as the hot rising air turned into a gigantic, smoky pyrocumulus cloud. It rose thousands of feet up and created lightning of its own, fire information officer Lisa Cox said. Large fires are capable of creating their own weather.
The officer added that spot fires caused by embers ran up to 1.6 km of the northeastern flank. This was too far for firefighters to leap into the field and fight the fires safely. Cooler, humid nights are utilized by firefighters to douse fires, but the ghastly heat and low humidity dint let them take advantage, she said.
“We’re expecting more of the same the day after and the day after and the day after,” Cox said.
Following advanced observations, fire officials said that the fire had rapidly spread to 223 sq km while only 9 per cent of it was contained.
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Emergencies were issued in several areas while Flex Alerts from 4 pm to 9 pm on Saturday were also called. These urge consumers to make lesser consumption of electricity through reduction of appliance usage and by keeping the thermostat at a higher level even in evenings when solar energy power goes down.
Fires remain active in Idaho, Oregon and Arizona as well.
