Devastating wildfires continued to burn across the Los Angeles metro area Friday, prompting mandatory evacuations and school closures across the region. Promise of little chance of relief next week; Conditions will remain favorable for both the spread of existing wildfires and the emergence of new ones, as strong winds will continue amid unusually dry conditions.
officials informed five major explosions Throughout the Los Angeles area as of Friday morning. Palisades Fire Palisades and Malibu in the Pacific have consumed more than 20,000 acres of land, while eaton fire Altadena covers more than 10,000 acres. At least 10,000 structures are believed to have been destroyed throughout Los Angeles, and 10 people have been killed.
Favorable fire weather requires dry vegetation, low humidity, and strong winds. The combination of these materials causes fires to ignite easily and spread rapidly; It was that dangerous mix that allowed the Palisades Fire and Eaton Fire early in the week to expand beyond the ability of any crew to control them.
Firefighters have since managed Start fire controlHelped by reinforcements from outside the state, water is available in hydrants ordered forAnd the wind speed is decreasing. (As well as helping the fire spread faster,) Strong seasonal Santa Ana winds early in the week Firefighters are sometimes prevented from responding to blazes with water and fire retardant chemicals.) The bad news is that those winds are now about to get stronger again — and on all other fronts, conditions are likely to be Not likely to be in favor of firefighters any time soon.
what happens next with the weather
Storm Prediction CenterThe National Weather Service, the agency tasked with issuing fire weather forecasts, says elevated fire conditions will remain throughout Los Angeles this weekend.
We could see two more moderate Santa Ana wind events in the coming days – one early in the day on Sunday, and another possibly on Tuesday. These gusts may encourage the spread of existing fires and the start of additional fires.
The Santa Ana wind phenomenon occurs when there is a pressure difference between the Great Basin – a vast expanse of land in Nevada and Utah – and the coastal communities around Los Angeles.
Meteorologists often use the air pressure difference between Las Vegas and Los Angeles to predict these winds. A strong pressure difference creates strong winds that move toward the coast, fueling existing wildfires. This is what they are predicting that we may see again in the coming days.
Vegetation will also remain exceptionally dry across the region. It's the middle of rainy season in Southern California right now – yet rain is nowhere in sight. After seeing the third-wettest February on record last year, Los Angeles International Airport has reported just 0.03 inches of rain since the beginning of last summer.
Despite mid-January being the prime time of Los Angeles' rainy season, there is little hope for meaningful rain over the next week and a half. NOAA's Climate Prediction Center announced Thursday that we have officially entered La Niña, a pattern of colder-than-normal water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean around the equator. Changes in the atmosphere responding to La Niña may force the jet stream to move northward over the eastern Pacific Ocean, forcing storms into the west coast of Canada rather than the western U.S., causing rainfall in states such as California. There is a shortage.
Right on cue, the major storm track in the Pacific Ocean will remain near the Gulf of Alaska through mid-January, providing some opportunities for rainfall that will make it as far south as Southern California.
Forecasters expect a weak La Niña to persist through the end of winter, with a good chance the pattern will fade by spring. Unfortunately, this timing may coincide with the beginning of Southern California's dry season.
This doesn't mean we won't see chances for rain in the coming months. However, vegetation across the region will remain exceptionally dry with little or no rain until at least mid-January. The risk of new fires and additional fire growth will depend on bouts of low humidity combined with strong winds – and any additional Santa Ana wind events in the coming weeks could prove dangerous.