While New York is under the snow, Los Angeles has been in the grip of flames in the middle of winter since Tuesday January 7. Winter in California is not a continental winter. There is no cold, frosts, with very low temperatures, heavy precipitation.
California remains an area where we have rather dry weather, where the sun largely dominates with precipitation which is always unfortunately in deficit and this phenomenon has been getting worse in recent years with global warming.
The relief around Los Angeles is a bit like the Rhône valley, if the wind is oriented correctly, there is a venturi effect which accelerates, so you have drought which is a little more frequent than drought. habit and the wind which is stronger than usual. All the conditions for the fire to start.
A fairly rare phenomenon in winter
This phenomenon is quite rare at this time of year, there is not always this configuration with a lack of rain and this depression which brought such violent wind. In summer, the phenomenon is more common.
We have to get used to this type of big fires in winter which could also await us in France. This is what awaits the places where droughts will worsen with warming. This part of the United States is in a risk zone. This means that an intelligent or at least significant adaptation is necessary for the coming years.
We must adapt the territory to this risk. This is what we did, for example, in the south of France, where we much fewer fires than in the 70s. The United States will have to do this enormous work in the coming years.
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