‘Off the charts’: LA’s critically dry fire conditions stun scientists
… Last summer was one of the hottest on record, and the extreme swings between wet and dry conditions over the past two years has been unusually severe. Two rainy winters — which promoted heavy growth of brush — have been followed by near-zero rainfall for the past eight months and counting. This pattern of weather whiplash, likely exacerbated by climate change, hasn’t been seen in Southern California since 1992-1993, and before that, 1907-1908. “We find only three instances where an anomalously dry start to the wet season follows back-to-back wet water years,” a team of UCLA researchers wrote in a report released on Monday. Soil moisture levels across much of the region from Santa Barbara to San Diego hover between just 2% and 5% of average — leaving dust where there should be mud. Also, an important measure called “vapor pressure deficit” has exceeded norms. Calculated from a combination of temperature and relative humidity, it reflects the ability of air to draw moisture from the landscape.
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