This Thursday (30) thousands of people received evacuation calls due to the rapid increase of wildfires in Colorado, USA. we, an area affected by a historic drought.
Power towers brought down by strong winds caused small fires that took shape in the dry landscape of Boulder County.
20,000 residents of the City of Louisville, along with over 13,000 residents of the City of Superior, Withdrawal call received, The National Weather Service said it was a situation that was “putting lives at risk”.
A police vehicle passes on a road after an evacuation order was issued near Boulder, Colorado, USA, after a wind-driven wildfire. 12/30/2021 — Photo: Kevin Moht/Reuters
Winds of up to 160 km/h were recorded at several places, spreading the flames and disrupting the efforts of firefighters. Building construction was also affected.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis wrote on Twitter: “Praying for the thousands of families evacuated by the Superior and Boulder fires.” “The strong winds are spreading the flames fast,” he said.
Historical Droughts and Climate Change
like most of the western part we, Colorado had been going through years of drought that left the region dry and vulnerable to wildfires.
While flames are a natural part of the climate cycle, helping to clear vegetation, their scale and intensity are increasing.
Scientists have warned that climate change, driven by human activities such as the indiscriminate burning of fossil fuels, is changing weather patterns.
This prolongs drought in many regions and causes unusual unseasonal storms in other regions, a phenomenon that can be expected as temperatures continue to rise around the world.
Daniel Swain, a meteorologist at the University of California, tweeted that it was “hard to believe” that these fires started in December, when these types of flames don’t usually occur.
“But if we take a hot, dry autumn with only an inch of snow so far in the season, and add an extreme thunderstorm (over 160 km/h) … the result is extremely fast and dangerous fires.” he explained .
