Effect of the California Wildfires

For the past decade, California has had a streak of wildfires that have gone out of control every year. Wildfires have become so common in California that people have come to call the seasons between Summer and Fall “Fire Season”.

Wild Fires Report

This year California had 7,600 wildfire incidents and burned 2,277,922 acres of land. Over 5,000 structures have been burned or destroyed and 22 fatalities from these fires. With every wildfire that pops up, it causes the temperature to rise for the Spring and Summer seasons. It also causes reduced snowpack and earlier spring snowmelt in the mountainous and snowy regions in California. The increase in temperature helps create a longer and more intense dry season that causes moisture stress for the vegetation which makes it more susceptible to wildfires.

California Heat Breaks Records

The 2020 California fires have set new records. The lowest temperature recorded since the beginning of September was in the 90s in urban areas. Temperatures are now higher than 100 degrees in dry desert areas. Death Valley alone reached 130 degrees which is the highest recorded temperature in the world. What to know about Riverside, CA is a question one should ask before planning a summer vacation.

California Smoke Moves Towards the East

The fires are not only having an effect on cities and the state, but the entire country. Smoke and ash now cover a majority of California, making the sun look more orange and the air more hazardous and difficult to breath. Smoke and ash are not only affecting California, but are now spreading across the country. The smoke not only covers California, but is moving across the country, mainly traveling across the northern states. The smoke has spread so far that it has reached the east coast, mainly Washington D.C and New York. Scientists claim that the smoke in the east coast is so high up that it should not affect the air quality, but you can see how California’s wildfires have affected the country.