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Record Heat & Wild Fires
Most of the time, I am happy to have chosen the PNW as my home. SO many nice things here. Except for the mass exodus of people TO here and the subsequent housing shortage/rental price explosion in most of the larger towns and cities–
– and the fire season…
As global warming increases the temperatures and extends drought season (the west coast has a seasonal summer drought period every year, but it used to be 2 to 2.5 months- now its 3 to 4 months) the wild fires (scrub on the drier east side of the mountain ranges) and forest fires (on the western side where the big trees grow) are starting earlier, getting larger, burning more fiercely, and lasting longer. Fire season started in May this year, when normally it starts in July, if that tells you anything.
I love the forests here. Seeing even the wettest rain forest on Mt. Olympia burning through miles of thick, ancient, old growth just kills me. The pain of it runs deep. This is what we humans have done, and now we watch so much destruction! Its horrific, and yet I am personally helpless to do anything other than in my own area.
Living next to a forest, rather understandably, makes me rather nervous as well. People do dumb things like walk through the forest while smoking cigarettes and putting the cherries (burning end) out on the dry fir needles littering the ground. Or toss cigs out the window of their car. Or camp with campfires at a time with one flying ember could set everything aflame. Its just scary how much damage stupid or careless people can do in these situations!
Everyone here is praying for rain. We had a single day last week in the 70s with soft rain falling steadily for over 14 hours that seems to have helped. We need more than that. I hope we get a few days of unseasonable rain a little early. Its also a nice change from the heat being in the 90s so often. We get 80s temps mostly in the summer here, but this year “normal” means at least 4 out of 7 days a week run into the 90s. Its been that way for WEEKS, and its just exhausting.
I can hardly wait until autumn. They say El Nino is setting a record for the largest ever recorded, and we might get lots of rain from that. The “spray hose effect” from El Nino could send lots of water over Mexico, California, us, or Canada, or even Alaska. Usually it drifts up and down the coast, but some years it stays stuck over one area, and that means too much of a good thing and flooding.
Still, floods are preferable to fires.
No fires by me anywhere yet, but I have noticed a number of blood red sunsets that we usually only see when smoke is in the upper atmosphere. They're pretty, but they mean rather ominous things.
Source: http://lucretiasheart.livejournal.com/1153175.html
