A dangerous mix of conditions appear to have combined to make the wildfires blazing a path of destruction in Hawaii particularly damaging, including high winds, low humidity and dry vegetation.
Experts also say climate change is increasing the likelihood of more extreme weather events like what含羞草研究社檚 playing out on the island of Maui, where dozens of people have been killed and a historic tourist town was devastated.
含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 leading to these unpredictable or unforeseen combinations that we含羞草研究社檙e seeing right now and that are fueling this extreme fire weather,含羞草研究社� said Kelsey Copes-Gerbitz, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of British Columbia含羞草研究社檚 faculty of forestry. 含羞草研究社淲hat these 含羞草研究社� catastrophic wildfire disasters are revealing is that nowhere is immune to the issue.含羞草研究社�
What含羞草研究社檚 fueling them?
Major differences in air pressure drove unusually strong trade winds that fanned the destructive flames, according to meteorologists.
Trade winds are a normal feature of Hawaii含羞草研究社檚 climate. They含羞草研究社檙e caused when air moves from the high-pressure system pressure north of Hawaii 含羞草研究社� known as the North Pacific High 含羞草研究社� to the area of low pressure at the equator, to the south of the state.
But Hurricane Dora, which passed south of the islands this week, is exacerbating the low-pressure system and increasing the difference in air pressure to create 含羞草研究社渦nusually strong trade winds,含羞草研究社� said Genki Kino, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Honolulu.
Hawaii含羞草研究社檚 state climatologist, Pao-Shin Chu, said he was caught off guard by the impact Dora had from roughly 500 miles (800 kilometers) away.
含羞草研究社淗urricane Dora is very far away from Hawaii, but you still have this fire occurrence here. So this is something we didn含羞草研究社檛 expect to see,含羞草研究社� he said.
Strong winds, combined with low humidity and an abundance of dry vegetation that burns easily, can increase the danger of wildfire, even on a tropical island like Maui.
含羞草研究社淚f you have all of those conditions at the same time, it含羞草研究社檚 often what the National Weather Service calls 含羞草研究社榬ed flag conditions,含羞草研究社櫤卟菅芯可鐫 said Erica Fleishman, director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute at Oregon State University.
How climate change plays a role
含羞草研究社淐limate change in many parts of the world is increasing vegetation dryness, in large part because temperatures are hotter,含羞草研究社� Fleishman said. 含羞草研究社淓ven if you have the same amount of precipitation, if you have higher temperatures, things dry out faster.含羞草研究社�
Clay Trauernicht, a fire scientist at the University of Hawaii, said the wet season can spur plants like Guinea grass, a nonnative, invasive species found across parts of Maui, to grow as quickly as 6 inches (15 centimeters) a day and reach up to 10 feet (3 meters) tall. When it dries out, it creates a tinderbox that含羞草研究社檚 ripe for wildfire.
含羞草研究社淭hese grasslands accumulate fuels very rapidly,含羞草研究社� Trauernicht said. 含羞草研究社淚n hotter conditions and drier conditions, with variable rainfall, it含羞草研究社檚 only going to exacerbate the problem.含羞草研究社�
Stronger hurricanes
Climate change not only increases the fire risk by driving up temperatures, but also makes stronger hurricanes more likely. In turn, those storms could fuel stronger wind events like the one behind the Maui fires.
That含羞草研究社檚 on top of other threats made worse by climate changes.
含羞草研究社淭here含羞草研究社檚 an increasing trend in the intensity of hurricanes worldwide, in part because warm air holds more water,含羞草研究社� Fleishman said. 含羞草研究社淚n addition to that, sea levels are rising worldwide, so you tend to get more severe flooding from the storm surge when a hurricane makes landfall.含羞草研究社�
While climate change can含羞草研究社檛 be said to directly cause singular events, experts say, the impact extreme weather is having on communities is undeniable.
含羞草研究社淭hese kinds of climate change-related disasters are really beyond the scope of things that we含羞草研究社檙e used to dealing with,含羞草研究社� UBC含羞草研究社檚 Copes-Gerbitz said. 含羞草研究社淚t含羞草研究社檚 these kind of multiple, interactive challenges that really lead to a disaster.含羞草研究社�
Claire Rush, The Associated Press
