USA New fires in California - heat record in Palm Springs

Several new forest and bush fires have broken out in the scorching heat in southern California. One of the largest has been blazing since Friday in the Los Padres National Forest, a wooded area north of Santa Barbara, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. The fire is spreading there at high speed. Drought and strong winds have also fanned several other fires. Meteorologists reported a heat record for the south of the US state.

In times of drought, a heatwave with hot and dry winds can contribute to fires becoming stronger and larger. In California, forest fires are a regular occurrence. If the soil is extremely dry after a long drought and the vegetation is severely weakened and then a heatwave occurs, there is a lack of evaporative cooling and fires can become more intense.

According to the weather service in San Diego, 124 degrees Fahrenheit (51.11 degrees Celsius) were measured in Palm Springs, around 150 kilometers east of Los Angeles. This topped the previous record of 123 degrees set there in 2021, 1995 and 1993.

Meanwhile, firefighters were able to partially contain a forest fire that broke out on Thursday - the US national holiday - and threatened the town of Mariposa in Yosemite National Park. There, 300 residents were temporarily evacuated. On Friday evening, the closure of Highway 140, which leads into the national park, was lifted. Four buildings were destroyed by the fire and three people were injured.

California Governor Gavin Newsom promised state support to those affected by the fires. Meanwhile, the fire authority Cal Fire is warning of an increased fire risk not only in southern California, but also in large parts of the central coast and in the north of the state.

Experts consider the current heat to be very unusual. "Normally we get temperatures like this in August," the Los Angeles Times quoted meteorologist Ryan Kittell as saying. "But even if this were August now, it would still be at the upper end of heat conditions." Anyone fleeing the heat to the beach now must be prepared for high swells and surf currents, the report said.

SDA