UPDATE: Thursday, Feb 29, 2024 · 7:27:20 PM +00:00
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Irontortoise
From CNN:
Catastrophic wildfires ripping across the Texas Panhandle have killed at least one person and threaten to destroy more homes, cattle and livelihoods as the biggest inferno in state history engulfs more land every minute.
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The wildfires have already scorched about 2,000 square miles – roughly the same amount of land as the entire state of Delaware.
In Hutchinson County, the Smokehouse Creek Fire claimed the life of 83-year-old Joyce Blankenship, her family said.
“The house was gone,” said her grandson Nathan Blankenship. “There was no way she could’ve gotten out.”
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In Hemphill County alone, 400,000 acres are burned, scores of homes have been destroyed and thousands of cattle have died, Hemphill County AgriLife Extension agent Andy Holloway said. More than 85% of cattle in Texas are raised in the Panhandle, according to agricultural officials.
From ABC News today:
Several large wildfires continue to tear through northern Texas, including one that has grown into the largest blaze in state history.
The Smokehouse Creek Fire that ignited in Hutchinson County remained active as of Thursday morning, having burned an estimated 1,075,000 acres and was just 3% contained, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. The flames, which cover an area larger than the size of Rhode Island, have spread across state lines, with 1,050,000 acres burned in Texas and 25,000 acres burned in Oklahoma.
Earlier, Gov Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties in northern Texas, and the Pentax nuclear weapons plant outside Amarillo was briefly evacuated due to the fast-moving fires — with normal operations there paused until further notice. Some further background as to how and why these fires spread so rapidly:
Several factors came together to produce an extreme wildfire event in the area, according to the National Weather Service.
The Smokehouse Creek Fire began in the Canadian River Valley, more rugged terrain than the flat area of the Texas Panhandle that is harder to access, according to Mike Gittinger, head meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Amarillo.
"The initial fire attack by firefighters was delayed due to the topography," Gittinger told ABC News. "Also, that area has more vegetation, since it's near the river, not just grassland, hence more fuel for burning."
Wet conditions over the spring and summer last year means more fuel to burn now, Gittinger said.
"Parts of the Texas Panhandle received up to 13 inches of rain in just 30 days -- this was months worth of rain for the area," Gittinger said. "Due to this factor, vegetation was able to grow and be available to burn with this fire."
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The temperature on Monday in Amarillo hit a record 82 degrees -- helping dry things out more and enhance the fire.
Winds gusted to 50 mph on Monday and 70 mph on Tuesday in the Amarillo area, along with very low relative humidity, which also helped the fire spread.
Climatologically speaking, the Texas Panhandle is entering the peak of its wildfire season -- March and April. At this time of the year, the vegetation was dormant, due to the earlier winter freeze, so it was extra dry.
As the Smokehouse Creek Fire burns largely out of control, the next 48 hours are expected to see improving conditions -- including lighter winds with increased humidity and a chance for rain and snow.
By this weekend, winds are expected to increase once again -- gusting 30 to 45 mph -- and temperatures are expected to return into the 70s, well above the average of 59 degrees. However, overall fire weather conditions are forecast to not be as critical.
Meanwhile, this report from last September just confirms the all-too-obvious:
Record-breaking wildfires have occurred all over the Northern Hemisphere during 2023, new report finds
Boreal forests in regions all over the world have been experiencing the worst wildfires in recorded history in 2023, according to new research.
Record-breaking wildfires have been especially scorching boreal forests across the Northern Hemisphere this year, according to a report released Wednesday by Copernicus, the European Union's climate change service.
In Canada, which broke the record in late June for wildfire smoke emissions released in a single year, wildfires began raging in May, long before the start of the fire season, and are still burning with fervor.
The total wildfire emissions for 2023 is estimated to be almost 410 megatonnes, the highest on record for Canada by a wide margin, according to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service dataset, which provides information on the location, intensity, and estimated emission of wildfires around the world. The previous annual record was set in 2014 at 138 megatonnes of carbon.
But none of this has anything to do with global warming or climate change according to the deniers — right?