Daniel SwainVerified account

Strong downslope winds were a key factor in the devastation of #Paradise by the #CampFire. But strong winds in damp forest simply aren't going to drive the same kind of wildfire. The extreme, summer-like dryness of vegetation clearly matters. #CAwx #CAfire (4/n)

You may notice that warming is part of a strong long-term trend. And it's exactly what it looks like: California, like the rest of the world, is warming due to climate change. Fire season, along with the rest of the year, is getting warmer. #CAwx #CAfire (6/n)

But what's causing that trend? Is it just bad luck? While the exact level of dryness in a particular year is somewhat random, less precipitation in autumn & spring--California's "shoulder seasons"--has long been a projected outcome of climate change. #CAfire #CAwx (8/n)

CA wildfire folks will immediately understand significance of this: rainy months essentially define beginning/end of fire season. Dry autumns, in particular,are risky as they mean that summer-like vegetation dryness persists longer into "offshore wind" season.#CAwx #CAfire (10/n)

This is just *one example* of how a changing climate has affected key risk factors during what has already become California's most destructive wildfire in history. Does this mean that climate change "caused" the fire? No, of course not. But... (11/n) #CAwx #CAfire #CampFire

...that's just a testament to how poorly framed the question of "Did climate change cause X extreme event?" really is. It misses the most essential point: all disasters are compound events, w/many contributing factors. But sometimes, climate can play starring role. #CAfire (12/n)

Wildfire risk is a key example of this complexity. In many cases, human factors like human encroachment/urban development in high fire-risk wildlands is at least as important as climate change. In other cases, forest and fuels management is also key consideration. #CAfire (13/n)

I grew up in California. My family & friends live there. And after last few years, almost everyone has #wildfire story to tell. For some, it's struggling to breathe in smoke-choked air. For others, it's nightmarish escape from walls of flame in darkness of night. #CAfire (16/n)

What is abundantly clear is that we have big, rapidly accelerating problem--both in California & elsewhere. And my point is not that it's all due to climate change. But we have to start having more nuanced conversations on societal risk. Clearly, status quo is not working. (17/n)

From my perspective as a climate scientist, the increasingly profound changes we're bearing witness are a big part of reason why. When you just look at the numbers, sometimes these changes seem subtle, incremental. But on-the-ground reality is that they're anything but. (18/end)