Extreme heat continues to bake the American West, breaking temperature records, and exacerbating drought and other wildfire catalysts. Billings, Montana, broke a 61-year-old record with 106°F heat on Monday. Boise, Idaho has hit 95°F for 23 days straight. And Salt Lake City hit 100°F for the 17th time this year … [continued]
As wildfires, fueled by human-caused climate change, have grown more extreme, so has the burden on the wildland firefighters, and it’s pushing many out of the job they love, Thomson Reuters reports. “The seasons are longer, and we’re not being treated any better,” Brian Campbell, veteran of nearly two decades … [continued]
Wildfires fueled by extreme heat and drought continue to rage across the West Coast. Climate change exacerbates drought and heatwaves that set the stage for massive conflagrations, like the Sugar Fire in Northern California which doubled in size from Friday to Saturday and produced so much smoke and ash that, … [continued]
Originally published on NRDC Expert Blog. By Mitchell Bernard Summer is just beginning, and it’s already made this much clear: The time for climate action is now. On Monday, one of the hottest places on the planet was Portland, Oregon, where record temperatures of 116 degrees caused streets to buckle and sent scores … [continued]
Story by Kathryn Hansen. So far in 2021, British Columbia has already seen dangerous wildfires and heat. More than 40 wildfires were burning across the Canadian province by the end of June 2021, including a cluster of substantial blazes located about 200 kilometers northeast of Vancouver. The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer … [continued]
President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met (virtually) with a bipartisan group of Western governors yesterday to discuss preparations for this year’s wildfire season, which is expected to be especially severe due to an ongoing drought fueled by climate change. “Climate change is driving the dangerous confluence of extreme … [continued]
Wildfire damage is threatening drinking water supplies across the West long after the blazes are put out, the New York Times reports. Increasingly vicious wildfires, fueled by climate change, are exposing huge swaths of hillside and mountainside to increased erosion which in turn can obstruct and foul drinking water supplies … [continued]
Wildfires, fueled by heat and drought, are straining firefighters in Arizona and California as conditions augur worse fires to come in Oregon. At least 15 fires actively burning more than 400,000 acres across Arizona have stretched fire crews already hampered by extreme heat. Though cooler weather is expected later in … [continued]
As extreme heat, drought, and wildfires spread across the state, Arizona is allocating funding to pay incarcerated people fighting those wildfires $1.50 per hour. Incarcerated people clearing brush, in temperatures that hit 115°F in Phoenix for six days in a row last week, will make $1.00 per hour. The Thirteenth … [continued]
Fire weather is heating up across the western United States, exacerbated by an intense heatwave and ongoing severe drought. NOAA satellites are monitoring numerous wildfires and keeping watch on areas primed for ignition. As of June 17, 2021, 33 large fires are currently active, burning more than 400,000 acres in 10 … [continued]
