San francisco firefighters credit union

UPDATED | Wildfires continued to burn in Northern California Friday, killing at least 31 people and destroying over 128,000 acres of land. The wildfires have burned across California’s famed wine country since Sunday and spread to residential homes, forcing over 20,000 Californians to evacuate the area.

There are reportedly 9 active fires in the region as of Friday with more than 128,000 acres of land burned—about eight times the size of Manhattan.

Officials don’t know what sparked the blaze, but flames have spread due to 50 to 60 mile-per-hour winds and extremely dry conditions across the northern region. The Federal Emergency Management Agency approved grants for additional staff and firefighting equipment Tuesday after President Donald Trump issued a disaster declaration for the wildfires.

“The loss of homes and burning of precious land is heartbreaking, but the loss of life is truly devastating,” said White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.

Napa and Sonoma counties have been devastated by the Tubbs fire, which has burned at least 34,000 acres. In eastern Napa, the Atlas Peak fire has burned across 43,000 acres with only 7 percent successfully contained. The Redwood Complex fire in Redwood Valley spread across 34,000 acres with 10 percent containment reported. More evacuations have been ordered across Northern California as the wildfires spread.

Napa Valley roads are shut down as officials work to contain the wildfires, which the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said the fires “spread very quickly” since beginning Sunday night. There are reportedly 285 people are missing, as of Thursday morning.

California Governor Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency Monday in Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Nevada, Orange, Napa, Sonoma and Yuba counties. In a statement, Brown said the wildfires “have damaged critical infrastructure, threatened thousands of homes and caused the evacuation of residents.”

At least 1,500 structures have been destroyed by the wildfires. The LA Times reported the worst California fire in recent history occurred in 2003 and destroyed 2,800 homes. That fire also took place in October, when weather conditions are primed for high winds and dry land that acts as “a fuse for sparks.”

California faces about 5,400 wildfires each year, with tens of thousands of acres destroyed by the flames, but the simultaneous wildfires have proved challenging to battle. Smoke from the fires spread to San Francisco about 60 miles south of the wildfires, prompting a smoke advisory in the region. NASA’s Aqua satellite captured the extensive smoke from the fires.

Napa’s wine region is expecting to be devastated by the fires, as Newsweek reported . As of Thursday, the California fires had not significantly registered on the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Firefighters have largely contained the wildfires that have swept California for days, but the Golden State is a scorched landscape of devastated towns, flattened homes and hundreds of miles of ash-covered land where 40 people died , 100 were injured and thousands are homeless.

The death count is likely to rise, with Sonoma County Sheriff Rob Giordano saying some victims may never be identified.

“Some of them are merely ashes and bones,” Giordano said at a press conference. “We may never get truly confirmative identification on ashes. When you’re cremated, you can’t get an ID.”

About 11,000 firefighters continue to battle the remaining flames and look for survivors.

Californians Return to Gutted Homes, Piles of Ash

As portions of the wildfires are contained, evacuation orders are lifted and Californians return home, but some have discovered that only a coating of ash awaits them. Thousands of houses are destroyed, and some families are left homeless, trying to find a place to stay in one of the most expensive areas of the country.

Amid the challenges of rebuilding their lives, citizens will likely face additional problems with California’s real estate, like zoning and building regulations and sky-high prices in the market. AccuWeather, a weather forecasting organization, predicted that the economic impact of the fires could exceed $70 billion, placing an unexpected strain on California’s budget.

California often experiences its worst wildfires in October, when gusty winds and dry conditions make the state a tinderbox. California averages about 5,400 wildfires each year, with tens of thousands of acres destroyed by the flames, but the simultaneous blazes have proved challenging to fight.

Napa and Sonoma counties have been devastated by the Tubbs fire, which has burned at least 44,000 acres and was 60 percent contained as of Monday. In eastern Napa, the Atlas Peak fire has burned across 51,000 acres and is 65 percent contained. The Redwood Complex fire in Redwood Valley spread across 35,000 acres, with 45 percent containment reported .

Smoke from the fires spread to San Francisco, about 60 miles south of the wildfires, prompting an advisory in the region. Napa’s wine region is expecting to be devastated by the fires, as Newsweek reported .

As of Monday morning, President Donald Trump has not used Twitter, his favored method of communicating with constituents, to address the California wildfires. But the White House said the burning of land was “heartbreaking” and the loss of life is “truly devastating.”

Photos From California’s Wildfire Destruction

While the past two years have put a damper on July 4 ^th fireworks shows, this year brings a new set of challenges with persistent drought, strong winds, and extreme heat across many regions of the country, potentially impacting millions of people. With thousands of fireworks shows happening across the country, weather conditions will influence many of these shows, and may impact safety protocols, fireworks quality and in some cases result in cancelling entire shows.

Fireworks are big business. Pre-pandemic, the display fireworks industry hit an all-time high $375 million in 2019 and, this year, an estimated 16,000 fireworks displays are scheduled to take place to celebrate the July 4th holiday. Added to the consumer fireworks business, Americans spent nearly $2.5 billion on fireworks last year alone. For much of the country, the Fourth of July weekend weather will be dry for most, with the exceptions being parts of the Southeast, and in a band across the Plans and Upper Midwest, where the strongest winds will also exist. Excessive heat does not appear to be a threat across the Northeast sections of the country however very hot and dry conditions will persist over most of the Western states, with temperatures as much as 15-20 degrees above normal.

Weather can have a wide range of impacts on fireworks displays. For example, while much of the country has dealt with persistent winds , that wind can have both good and bad effects on a fireworks show. Too much wind can blow fireworks off their path and run the risk of starting fires on structures or trees, but if there is no wind, the smoke from the fireworks becomes stagnant and dulls the vivid colors of the show. To minimize these impacts, the perfect wind conditions would be around 5 to 10 mph.

A temperature inversion also effects the quality of a fireworks display. An inversion happens when the temperature is cooler at the surface and warmer aloft, and when in place, the firework smoke won’t move or disperse as efficiently, creating a hazy sky and also enhancing the sounds from the explosions. Similar results can happen if there is fog present.

Of course, moisture also has a big impact on fireworks. It’s worth noting that on low humidity days, the colors of the fireworks will appear brighter than on evenings with more moisture in the air. And just because rainshowers may be in the forecast, it doesn’t mean a fireworks show has to be cancelled. It only becomes an issue if there is a thunderstorm with lightning, potential high winds, or hail, creating a safety issue for event attendees.

The lack of moisture may have the biggest impact and risk with fireworks shows and this year’s drought conditions across the west and southwest is causing concern for event organizers. With the dry vegetation prone to fire from the fireworks sparks combined with the many water restrictions, it makes it hard for event organizers to plan for — and justify — the use of water resources. Fireworks start an estimated 19,500 fires every year, and more fires are reported on July 4 ^th than any other day of the year. Many large firework shows will still happen but will be launched over large bodies of water to prevent wildfires.

This year, some communities across the west including many in Colorado, New Mexico and Utah are outright cancelling fireworks shows because of the wildfire risk. The same is true of many cities in California where 60% of the state is in extreme drought and 12% is in a state of exceptional drought, which is the most severe level of drought recorded by the monitor.

Even though all fireworks shows are monitored by local firefighters, many communities are looking at alternative celebrations instead of an outright cancellation. From Lake Tahoe, to San Francisco, down the coast to San Diego, many cities will host drone show s instead of fireworks displays. A typical drone show may feature hundreds of lighted drones performing maneuvers to music, forming moving, multicolored designs in the night sky, without any fire or air pollution threat.

How event organizers react to and manage extreme weather events impacts not only the safety of the event, but also impacts public perception. Leveraging weather data in a meaningful way and having reliable resources in place ensures a safe and successful event, regardless of how the show goes on.