![]() Some researchers suggest that climate has not been and will not become a major determinant of fire activity over California’s lower elevations and latitudes, such as the CSCA 18, 19, 20. However, in the CSCA, there has been no significant trend in the annual or seasonal total burned area over the past five decades, possibly due to a combination of high interannual variability in climate, reduced ignitions, improved fire suppression, and land cover change 5. Recent studies suggest that warming and drying have extended the fire-season length in the western United States, including in California 3, 14, 15, 16, 17. ![]() The annual minimum of CSCA fire activity occurs from late winter to spring (January–May) due to higher fuel moisture in response to intermittent precipitation, relatively low temperature, and low vapour pressure deficit (VPD). Due to the nature of the CSCA’s fires, a large population, and patterns of land development at wildland-urban interfaces, the area has suffered some of the highest property losses caused by wildfires in the entire United States 13. In most of California, both large fire frequency and total area burned peak in summer, while in some years extremely large fires driven by the Santa Ana winds (SAW) 10 cause the coastal southern California area (CSCA) to experience a peak in area burned in October 11, 12. The annual fire suppression budget of CalFire (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection) has also increased from less than $30 million in the 1980s to approximately $640 million during 2015–2019 9. However, these years are eclipsed by 2020, as 16,907 km 2 have burned during this single year 9. In 20, California experienced consecutive exceptional fire seasons, burning a combined area of 13,255 km 2, and three of the seven largest fires in California’s modern record occurred during this time 5, 8. Anthropogenic warming during the past century has increased aridity and aggravated drought risk in California 1, 2, directly contributing to increasing fuel aridity, a longer fire season, and increased wildfire activity over much of the state 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Similar content being viewed by othersĬalifornia has a Mediterranean climate characterised by mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers, which are conducive to wildfires. Our findings suggest that despite the lack of a contemporary trend in fire regime, projected greenhouse gas emissions will substantially increase the fire danger in southern California by 2099. The large fire season will be more intense and have an earlier onset and delayed end. We project that large fire days will increase from 36 days/year during 1970–1999 to 58 days/year under moderate greenhouse gas emission scenario (RCP4.5) and 71 days/year by 2070–2099 under a high emission scenario (RCP8.5). Here, we estimate wildfire probability in southern California at station scale and daily resolution using random forest algorithms and downscaled earth system model simulations. ![]() Yet how fire regime will respond to future anthropogenic climate change remains an important question. Over recent decades the annual wildfire area in the coastal southern California region has not significantly changed. For an up-to-the-minute fire update from CAL FIRE, check out these California fire Google Maps.įor images of the damage caused by California fires in 2018, view the photo gallery above.Southern California is a biodiversity hotspot and home to over 23 million people. The fire started on and it’s only 35% contained as of August 1.īut Monday night the Mendocino Complex Fires devoured almost 7,000 more acres, adding to its unfortunate claim of being the largest California fire in history.Īs firefighters continue to battle the blazes-from the Carr Fire to the Mendocino Complex Fire and beyond-the news continually evolves on this story. Initially, Redding, the largest city in the Northern California impact area, was hit particularly hard, with the Carr Fire spreading so far that it become one of the worst fires in the state’s history. BREAKING: The Mendocino Complex fire has officially become the largest in California wildfire history it burned 283,105 acres destroyed 132 structures and 10,200 more structures in danger its only 37% contained breaking the record set by the Thomas Fire just 8 months ago.
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