California firefighters already battled 1,500 wildfires as searing heat, dry grass give ample fuel
By early June, California wildfires have burned 34,394 acres, four times the 5-year average amount of land consumed by this time of year. Vegetation growth fueled by multiple atmospheric rivers has helped provide fuel for fires this season.
Firefighters battling Corral wildfire facing 100-degree temperatures
Temperatures are soaring into the triple-digits starting on Tuesday as the 14,000 acre Corral wildfire in Central California continues to burn. Containment has increased since the fire began on Saturday but conditions are extreme with layers of dry brush and hot temperatures.
California’s wildfire season is off to an aggressive start this year, with a triple-digital heat wave and plenty of dry grass fuels complicating the landscape for firefighters.
As of June 3, CAL Fire firefighters have responded to more than 1,500 wildland fires, which have burned 34,394 acres. Wildfires have burned four times the average amount of land consumed by this time of year, according to CAL Fire statistics.
The above-average acres burned are primarily due to the Corral Fire burning in San Joaquin County, which surpassed more than 14,000 acres over the weekend. The fire started Saturday and is nearly 100% contained as of Wednesday.
Cal Fire responded to 7,127 wildfires for the entire year of 2023.
Extreme heat baking West
Firefighters across the West are facing extreme heat early this summer, with temperatures normally not seen until July.
In Tracy, California, near where the Corral Fire continues to burn, the forecast high temperature on Wednesday was 105 degrees. The National Weather Service issued Excessive Heat Warnings for nearly 20 million people from California's Central Valley to the deserts of Arizona.
Life-threatening triple-digit heat baking millions in West
Dangerous heat continues to build across much of the West this week an early-season heat wave grips the region. Many areas will see temperatures in the 90s and triple digits later this week.
PEAK OF SCORCHING TRIPLE-DIGIT HEAT WAVE BEGINS WEDNESDAY FOR NEARLY 20 MILLION IN WEST
Some of California's larger wildfires are burning in areas under Excessive Heat Warnings, including in Kern County where the 1,000-acre Road Fire is burning.
The high was forecast to hit 106 on Wednesday in Bakersfield.
Acres burned by wildfires in the U.S. as of June 5, 2024 compared to previous years for the same time period.
The heat is likely to stay. This summer, NOAA's Climate Prediction Center is forecasting well-above-average temperatures for many in the Lower 48.
Across the U.S., wildfires have consumed 1.8 million acres, an increase compared to the 10-year average for this time of year.
How did atmospheric river rains help wildfire growth?
Between fall 2023 and spring 2024, California was soaked by rains from 51 different rounds of atmospheric rivers, more than twice the average. It may sound like it should have the opposite effect, but while this moisture improved California's drought conditions, it also helped fuel the wildfire growth the state is seeing now.
Moisture surging into Southern California bringing rounds of rain
March 2024 video: An upper-level low pressure system is beginning to send moisture into Southern California with rain forecast through the evening commute on Wednesday for Los Angeles.
RIDICULOUS PHOTOS SHOW AFTERMATH OF 12 FEET OF SNOW IN CALIFORNIA'S SIERRA NEVADA
"The very wet winter that we had out west aided in vegetation and growth. But when you start to dry it out with this high heat and dry air, it can really make for a bad situation on the ground," FOX Weather Meteorologist Marissa Torres said.
Now, there are many layers of brush and grass. With above-average temperatures this spring and summer, the new growth quickly dried out, becoming fuel for fires.