SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Nothing has dominated headlines in the past decade like wildfires in California.
A new analysis performed by Kaitlyn Trudeau and her team at Climate Central shows that the number of fire weather days has increased in the last 50 years. Trudeau grew up in Placerville and received her degree from Sacramento State University, so she is no stranger to California’s wildfire history.
“Fire weather days are the hot, dry, windy days that you see that really promote the kind of extreme and severe fire behavior that we've been seeing over the past few years,” said Trudeau.
The analysis is based upon meteorological factors like relative humidity, temperatures and wind speed – all things that dry out vegetation. When these factors come together to meet specific thresholds, it is counted as a fire weather day.
Climate change is to blame for the uptick in fire weather days.
"A lot of this is being driven primarily by climate change, especially in the West, where it is getting hotter, it is getting drier. If we want to change these conditions, we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. But on a smaller scale, I would just say, make sure you have defensible space around your home and make sure you have a way to get emergency alerts," said Trudeau.
Meeting the requirements to qualify for a fire weather day doesn’t mean a fire will break out on a certain day, but instead that the risk of a destructive, uncontrollable fire increases.
In Sacramento, the number of fire weather days has increased by 14 days and by 16 days in the San Joaquin valley. All it takes is a spark from dry lightning, a cigarette being thrown out of a car window or any other action to set off the next big fire.
“Again, it doesn't mean we're gonna have fires all those days. But it means that that risk is building, the risk is increasing,” said Trudeau.
WATCH ALSO:
