Climate change made Southern California’s dangerous wildfire conditions in early January 35% more likely than they would have been before the industrial era, according to a new analysis by the scientific group World Weather Attribution.
Greenhouse gas pollution raised temperatures, made drought more likely and extended the duration of fire season, contributing to the most destructive fire disaster in U.S. history, killing at least 28 people and destroying more than 16,000 structures. The fires were also 6% more intense because of climate change, the analysis found.
"The fires that we saw were within the range of fire size recorded historically for Southern California,” said Roop Singh, a climate risk advisor with the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Center and WWA contributor. "It’s their proximity to densely populated urban areas that really led to their significant impact.”
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