On top of all the 2020 craziness, the west coast is ravaged by wildfires.
Obviously I'd seen the reports from California, but hadn't realized how close to home the trouble extended. Until Tuesday morning, when we woke up to smoke-filled air drifting from across the border.
Air quality here has been poor all week. Here is the view from my deck this morning. You can see the haze obscuring nearby trees, and the row in the distance – only half a mile away – is almost invisible.
Fires extend all the way through California, Oregon, and Washington state.
Ironically, it was only a week ago that Ali and I were commenting how lucky BC has been this summer. When we went on vacation, campfires were still allowed at the end of August, something we've never seen in all the years we've been here. After several record-breaking years of wildfires, this summer has been damp and cool, so we haven't had to deal with mass evacuations on top of the pandemic.
Not so down south!
Wherever you are, I hope you're keeping safe this crazy year.
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10 comments:
Images of the Californian sky look downright apocalyptic.
Cheers.
True enough, Bland. It's scary stuff :(
Hi Ian - it's interesting to see - thanks for 'alerting' us ... and good to know BC has been mainly damp and cool - saving you from the fires and subsequent disruption.
One can only hope they burn themselves out soon ... and some rain comes. Look awful for them down south in the States.
All the best - Hilary
Everyone hears about California but the ones in Oregon and Washington are just as bad.
California does seem to get all the airplay about the fires. Sorry you're getting tne smoke, Ian. Terrible times.
Hilary, looks like we have rain coming this week. It should help clear the air, and I hope the belt of rain extends far enough south to help with the fires themselves.
Alex, they are indeed. And Oregon especially has been hitting the news too. Very tragic stories coming out recently :(
Teresa, we're expecting a shift in the wind direction tomorrow which should help us. Not sure what that will do down south though.
The year 2020 just can't seem to stop itself from piling on more and more miseries, so it shouldn't be too surprising that this year's wildfires are even more horrific than usual. The number of acres that have already been devastated, and the number of homes and lives that have already been lost simply boggles the mind. And still they rage on. Too bad science hasn't figured out a way to transfer the many FEET of recent rainfall that's flooded the southeast over to the west coast. And still... there are those who deny the possibility of climate change...
Hang in there. This, too, shall pass. Have a super weekend.
Susan, record-breaking fires in the west, record number of storms in the east, and arctic ice fast disappearing ... nothing to see here folks!
The smoke actually reached us in Pennsylvania, Ian. Just unbelievable. It hazed the skies and killed the sun. By evenings, it was a red ball through the gray.
The smoke was here, then the winds shifted and it was gone. Now it's back again.
Teresa, for a few days we couldn't even see that red ball in the sky. The sun was entirely invisible. Thankfully it's cleared up in the last week.
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