An “extreme heat wave” is affecting millions of Americans this weekend, with record temperatures in the Central and Northeast and wildfires spreading alarmingly across California.
A wildfire near Yosemite National Park grew in size Saturday and became one of California’s biggest wildfires of the year, prompting evacuation orders for thousands and power outages to more than 2,000 homes and businesses . ,
The “oak fire” was declared Friday in Mariposa County, near Yosemite National Park and its giant sequoias, and has already burned more than 2,500 hectares, destroying ten properties, according to the Forest Department and California’s Saturday Bulletin. and caused damage to five others. fire protection.
Many roads were closed and many areas were ordered to be evacuated Fuego“Extreme activity” and fought by about 400 firefighters, according to the same source, was not fully controlled on Saturday.
According to University of California climatologist Daniel Swain, Fuego “It spread in almost all directions”, “in reference to the high fuel load and extreme drought”.
“The chain of relatively small, non-catastrophic wildfires affecting California so far this season appears to be coming to an end,” he said on Twitter.
The west of the country has already experienced wildfires of extraordinary magnitude and intensity in recent years, a trend that scientists attribute to global warming.
tornado
Eyewitnesses posted on social networks pictures of a huge and impressive tornado of thick smoke rising from the forest like a tornado, a dangerous event that could spark a fire.
This fire is one of the most dramatic consequences of a heat wave in the United States.
“Dear heat will continue across the central United States and spread to the Northeast later this week, with multiple records expected to be set throughout the region this Saturday and Sunday,” the National Weather Service (NWS) announced.
Higher temperatures will increase the risk of “violent weather events” such as hail, winds and tornadoes in the upper Midwest.
The scorching heat was especially felt in the capital, Washington, where temperatures were approaching the symbolic 100-degree Fahrenheit (37-38 Celsius) bar.
New York was also not spared, with temperatures approaching 35 degrees. According to the NWS, temperatures could reach 43 degrees Fahrenheit in parts of Utah (west), Arizona (south) and the Northeast.
emergency situation
In Boston, whose Mayor Michelle Wu declared a “state of emergency because of the heat,” with municipal cooling zones open and swimming pools open longer, thermometers are expected to reach 37 degrees on Sunday.
This week, President Joe Biden once again underscored the “clear and immediate threat” posed by climate change, as “an existential threat to the nation and the world.” But the scope for his maneuvering in the Congress and the Supreme Court is limited.
There have been several heat waves around the world in 2022, such as in Western Europe in July and March-April in India. According to scientists, their increase is a clear sign of climate change.
In June 2021, an unusually intense “heat dome” wreaked havoc on the west coast of the United States and Canada, killing more than 500 people and fire Huge forest with a temperature close to 50 degrees.
Firefighters drop water from a helicopter. /afp 
The fire has destroyed more than 4,500 acres and destroyed many homes since it began Friday afternoon. /afp 
A fast-moving oak fire burning outside Yosemite National Park has forced evacuations
exhaust
Daniel Patterson, a spokesman for the Sierra National Forest, said evacuation orders went into effect Saturday for more than 6,000 people living several miles apart in a sparsely populated rural area.
Patterson said more than 400 firefighters were battling the flames, along with helicopters, other planes and bulldozers, facing tough conditions, including hot weather, low humidity and the worst drought in decades to a bone-dry Vegetation was included.
“Explosive fire behavior is challenging for firefighters,” Cal Fire said in a statement Saturday. Oak fire activity was described as “extreme with frequent runs, spot fires and group fires”.
