Tuesday Top of the Scroll: California drought hits extreme levels, wildfire threat grows
California’s drought, already rated “severe” to “extreme” for most of the state, is expected to worsen throughout the summer, combining with higher-than-average temperatures and dry vegetation to steadily increase the risk of wildfires, according to the interagency National Integrated Drought Information System. That assessment comes in the wake of the state’s worst wildfire season on record, 2020, which saw five of California’s six largest recorded infernos and extended the trend of wildfire seasons here growing longer and more intense.
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