The hot weather and dry conditions became so intense in the Oregon region of the United States that it fueled the wildfires across the United States. The wildfires became so enormous that, in turn, are creating their own weather in the fire-prone regions.
The fire was spread across 606 square miles which is larger than the whole area of Los Angeles. Speaking to the media, a government official said, “Absolutely no doubt that this is all a play of the climate change. Not just a few weeks ago, we saw a heat dome event that has taken many lives with it. Ice storms before that, and now these intense wildfires. Climate change is causing a deadlier effect on us than ever”. This incident has led 3.5 million people under the red flag imposing a severe threat to their life. It is predicted that some rainfall may be possible in the region but not enough to subdue the fires.
Creating its Own Weather “Normally weather predicts the fire, here, fire is predicting the weather” is enough to understand the extremity of the situation pertaining in Oregon. The fires are very large and are producing so much energy that the extreme heat is changing the weather. This situation normally happens due to the Pyrocumulus cloud development.
Pyrocumulus clouds form when extreme heat from the fire flames of a wildfire forces the air to rapidly rise, condensing, and cooling any moisture on smoke particles produced by the fire. These clouds essentially become thunderstorms and can contain their own lightning and strong winds. The prolonged drought conditions in the region are also fuelling the wildfire.
Another 50,000 to 1,00,000 acres of land is estimated to burn with the current pace at which the wildfires are moving. This is the third-largest fire event in the history of Oregon and more than 2,000 people are evacuated from their homes. As of Tuesday, 67 homes are already destroyed due to the fire.
Although a little hope can be seen as wind gusts at a rate of 25 mph can hit the area anytime soon which will subdue the wildfires. However, the situation is not going to come back to normal anytime soon in Oregon but this is a huge wake-up call to the world that the aftermath of the climate changes and human destruction of the natural habitat is going to be severe.