Why Southern California Is On Fire

[zoobyshoe]

It is 8:30 in the morning here in San Diego but the cloud of smoke over the whole city is so thick you can't see the sun. There is an eerie, sidelight to everything coming from a clear band of sky in the southeast.
It was much brighter out two hours ago at 6:30 AM. An hour ago the sun was still visible as a glowing red ball; now you can't see it at all.
A light snow of ash has been falling all night apparently. All the cars are filthy with it this morning.
I found out on the news that there are 5 huge fires around Los Angeles and two huge fires about thirty miles east of San Diego. I've lived here nearly twenty years and there have been lots of big fires, but never such an ominous blackout of the sun and ashfall.
Maybe Zantra and other Southern Ca. people can add info from there locations.

 

[RageSk8]

Yesturday the sky was orange and it was raining ash. My pothead roommate thought it was snowing

 

[On Radioactive Waves]

Been watching the last 5 days. This weekend is crazy, and there's so much smoke you can hardly see them at night.

We need rain bad!

 

[Zantra]

The sky is orange over here in OC. Gotta love that post apocalyptic ,nuclear winter feeling when you walk outside and the sun cloaked in a grey haze with ash falling everywhere.

 

[zoobyshoe]

5:27 P.M. Here in San Diego. Just about pitch black outside. 100,000 acres have burned in San Diego county, and 25,000 additional acres within the City of San Diego city limits. 200 homes gone. This morning it was about 30 miles from where I live. Now, it's about 7 or 8 miles away.

 

[Zantra]

Ouch.. I hope you're not in danger. Don't risk staying-insurance can replace your belongings

 

[zoobyshoe]

Thanks for your concern. The 7 or 8 miles away is where the burning brush and trees have met up with thickly populated areas. Everything between me and the fire is houses and buildings now, not the fast burning open brush, and the santa ana winds that were whipping the fires into a frenzy all day have suddenly dies down. My impression is that the houses that get hit are the ones on the edge of the brush and trees. It doesn't seem to be inclined to move inward from house to house into neighborhoods. The smoke stench here is unbelievable. Somehow, all the smoke seems to be coming directly over and into the City.

 

[Zantra]

I'm told this is a yearly event(been here less than a year), but I'm assuming it doesn't usually get this bad. Oh well, it's beginning to look a lot like christmas.

 

[zoobyshoe]

10:32 P.M. Something shifted the smoke away from the city now. The smell of it is greatly reduced and I can actually see Mars and about five stars. I hope it stays like this tomorrow. It was very depressing today, with the whole day seeming like twilight.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Originally posted by zoobyshoe
10:32 P.M. Something shifted the smoke away from the city now. The smell of it is greatly reduced and I can actually see Mars and about five stars. I hope it stays like this tomorrow. It was very depressing today, with the whole day seeming like twilight.

Good! I have been watching the news reports. LAX closed I heard? Newsrooms being evacuated. Wow!

Yes Zantra this is a periodic problem. The Santa Ana's are famous for this. They are not usually this bad, but I can remember huge fires, and then mud slides the next winter as some of my earliest memories of growing up in LA. We had several really bad years in the 60s and 70s.

 

[Zantra]

Latest news is that the winds are now switching to favor the firefighters. Mudslides, earthquakes and forest fires? Hmm.. I miss the snowy midwest- NOT!

 

[Mattius_]

I wish i lived in cali...

 

[zoobyshoe]

2:50 PM Much better today in the city. Much less smoke. The sun went from a red ball this morning to white light tinged with orange.

The fires, according to the news, are not the least bit contained. Somehow the smoke just isn't blowing into the city anymore.

One reporter said it has now exceeded the locally famous Laguna fire of the 1970s for deaths caused, strucures burned, and acreage burned. The banks are closed and the post office is closed.

 

[Zantra]

They're now saying the simi valley fire could go all the way to Malibu and the pacific. I guess at this point no one west of the fires in Southern California is safe

 

[Ivan Seeking]

NASA photo of California's southwest.

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=11799

 

[zoobyshoe]

Today reporters are saying 10% of San Diego county has burned (I'm not sure how they're figuring that - surface area or what) It is being officially labeled "The worst fire disaster in San Diego history". 200,000 + acres, 881 homes, 148 vehicles.

Astronomers will be upset to know it is now headed toward the Palomar observatory.

The smoke got worse in the city today: back to solar eclipse style dimmness. Only good thing is that the westward burning, toward the ocean, seems to have subsided. It's burning east, and north/south very rapidly. Crews are coming into San Diego county from Arizona and Nevada to help. Also some military.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Ivan,

Thanks for that link. I was trying to find a satellite shot on the web last night but didn't know where to look. These shots show the smoke blowing from the east to the west directly over my house. Explains a lot.

-zooby

 

[Zantra]

ya now I can see why the sun looks orange. the san bernadino county fires are all blowing straight over my place. No wonder I can't see the sun. My car is now a permanent ash grey. They say that the other winds are blowing to the east now, so that should ease up the fires and the smoke.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Unbelievable change today! The sun has been out off and on, and everything looks so bright!

What's it like in L.A.?

 

[zoobyshoe]

Here's a news article from a military newspaper:

Fire Storms in San Diego Burn Hundreds of Thousands of Acres.
Address:http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=10293

The southermost edge of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar is about 4 miles from my house.

 

[RageSk8]

The OC is alright. There are dark clouds but for the most part it is sunny.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I guess what is happening is that there is a huge low pressure system coming into Southern Cal from the east. The high pressure dome that was sitting on us these past few days is now blowing into that low pressure area, effectivly reversing the direction the smoke has been blowing. Now it's all being blown inland somewhere.

 

[chroot]

zoobs,

I didn't realize you were in SD -- best of luck to you guys down there -- I hope you all make it out of this okay.

- Warren

 

[zoobyshoe]

Originally posted by chroot
zoobs,

I didn't realize you were in SD -- best of luck to you guys down there -- I hope you all make it out of this okay.

- Warren

Thanks, Warren. The threat to the city itself seems to be completely over. It burned up to the edge of us and they either stopped it or it stopped on its own, I can't find out which. People getting hurt bad are those out to the east and north of the metropolitan area where it's mostly brush and medium sized trees.

I saw a reporter standing on Mt. Palomar on TV today pointing across a valley to the line of fire on a ridge that looked to be a couple miles away. People in that area were told to just evacuate with whatever they could carry: the fire crews were spread too thin to even attempt saving any structures. I'm afraid the Observatory may be a gonner.

 

[Zantra]

ya I heard about the telescope- shame to loose it The smoke is gone in irvine, but as I drive north on the 405 I can see where the line of smoke starts- right before my city. So I'm still right inside of the smoke line- figures. But I still feel lucky compared to the thousands of people directly affected by this.