Study says climate change made conditions that fed California wildfires more likely, more intense

A quick scientific study finds that human-caused climate change increased the likelihood and intensity of the hot, dry and windy conditions that fanned the flames of the recent devastating Southern California wildfires. Tuesday’s report calculates that global warming boosts the frequency of high fire weather conditions in this month’s fires by 35% and its intensity by 6%. Scientists say super strong Santa Ana winds that gusted to 100 mph, an autumn with little rain that followed two years of downpours that caused rapid growth in flammable chapparal and grass, hot temperatures, dry air and vulnerable houses built in heavy fire-prone areas all were factors in the fires. A quick scientific study finds that human-caused climate change increased the likelihood and intensity of the hot, dry and windy conditions that fanned the flames of the recent devastating Southern California wildfires. Tuesday’s report calculates that global warming boosts the frequency of high fire weather conditions in this month’s fires by 35% and its intensity by 6%. Scientists say super strong Santa Ana winds that gusted to 100 mph, an autumn with little rain that followed two years of downpours that caused rapid growth in flammable chapparal and grass, hot temperatures, dry air and vulnerable houses built in heavy fire-prone areas all were factors in the fires.  AP Technology and Science