The western United States continued to suffocate this Wednesday under extreme temperatures, with the risk of power outages in California, whose electrical network is twisted by the heat wave that has hit the region for a week.
California, as well as parts of Nevada and Arizona, are facing scorching temperatures, approaching 45 degrees in some places, due to a heat dome over the area. Mercury has yet to reach such extremes on Wednesday and Thursday, according to the US weather service, the NWS.
In this suffocating environment, several large fires are raging in the region and two of them have already been fatal.
The Fairview fire, which has killed two people southeast of Los Angeles, is still growing and “moving faster than our efforts,” according to local fire chief Josh Janssen. The fire “continues to threaten several populated areas,” he added. Since Monday, the flames have destroyed more than 2,800 hectares.
“Uncontrollable”
The mercury should drop from Friday thanks to the arrival of a front of cold air from Canada, according to meteorologists. But this phenomenon brings with it the risk of violent winds capable of multiplying the flames in the western United States.
“Coupled with relatively low humidity, this will likely increase the risk of new fires starting and existing fires at risk of spreading out of control,” the NWS said in a statement.
“The weather is unpredictable and the fire is moving fast”
In Montana, gusts could reach 60 mph, according to the Storm Prediction Center. In California, more than 10,000 residents were ordered to evacuate their homes to protect themselves from the “Fairview Fire,” but many ignored the alert, according to Riverside County police, who sent their officers door-to-door to try to convince. the recalcitrant
“People should take it more seriously, given the speed of the spread, and that’s why we’re expanding the evacuation zone so much, because with the wind changes, the weather is unpredictable and the fire moves quickly,” he said. Los Angeles Times a spokeswoman for the local sheriff, Brandi Swan.
In the southwestern United States, the forecast promises torrential rain just after the fall of the mercury on Friday. A hurricane is brewing off Mexico and could bring up to 6 inches of precipitation to parts of Arizona and California.
“This amount of rain is likely to cause flash flooding here and there, especially in areas already destroyed by fire,” the NWS warned.
Source: BFM TV
