Northern California sees more and more ‘fire weather’ days, data shows

Climate Signals summary: Global warming due to human influence has led to an increase in wildfire risk in northern California, according to a new analysis of federal data.

Article excerpt: 

Across the Sierra Nevada foothills, fire weather is increasingly becoming a distressing reality of life. Over the last half-century, global heating has dramatically increased the number of annual fire-weather days in the region, a Climate Central analysis of federal weather station data shows.

The Climate Central research reveals that the number of annual fire-weather days in what the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) defines as the Sacramento Drainage climate division climbed from an average of seven days in the early 1970s to 22 in 2020. This year there were 25.

The findings are consistent with a growing body of research suggesting that California is entering an unprecedented new era of fire. Climate scientists have found that in parts of the state, fall fire-weather days are expected to double by the end of the century. California’s fire season, which has historically peaked in the late summer and autumn, has been expanding.

You can find the full story here: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/09/northern-california-wildfires-fire-weather-climate