No, that’s not the answer to life, the universe, and everything (+50). That’s how hot it got here yesterday.
It’s cooler this morning but managing to be gray, dry, muggy, and threatening all at once. We are under something called a “Red Flag Fire Weather Warning,” which I’ve never heard of before.
Usually our weather maps are more greenish. Never seen this orangey-purply stuff before.
Looks like a certain “Grey Zone” I’ve read about. You haven’t heard any bad news around there lately, have you?
Does bear a certain resemblance to that “zone,” doesn’t it? Although last I heard Seattle wasn’t a restricted area (due to some nefarious cause I was going to address in a later volume).
But given that bad news has been no worse than broken cars and ankles, I’ll have to say that any resemblance between this zone and the zone you note is purely coincidental.
For the past few years, red flag fire warnings have been a staple here in Colorado, and some notable forest fires have occurred. This year however, we’re under regular flash flood warnings. Go figure.
It’s because you lived in the desert. It finds you wherever you hide, eventually. You’ve only yourself to blame…
When “gun control” isn’t enough:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/14/cutlery_ban/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1217504/Are-old-spoon-Woman-asked-ID-buying-teaspoons-Tesco.html
(Short version: Stores in England require an ID in order to buy silverware. I can’t find it in these articles, but there’s a rumor that this also covers plastic knives, the kind used in picnics. Can anyone confirm or deny that rumor?)
Red flag warning are those associated with the combination of exceptionally high temperatures, lots of dry fuel, and high winds. The combination is custom-made for the rapid spread of wildfires.
Claire you may want to get a copy of this book…
http://www.amazon.com/Climate-Wars-Fight-Survival-Overheats-ebook/dp/B00OM7YMJ2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1435550010&sr=8-2&keywords=Gwynne+Dyer
It was published back in 09 and the author is a damn good one who knows his stuff. The cover is a little sensational but don’t let that fool you.
We had one of those warnings back in 2011. Power line sparks started a fire. Lost over 1600 homes and about 40 commercial buildings in less than a week. A combination of 100-degree heat, low humidity, and 30 MPH wind left nothing but bare slabs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastrop_County_Complex_fire
We had some of those warnings back in May here in southern Vermont. But June precipitation has returned to pretty much normal, meaning weekly rains, enough to water the plants, and enough to prevent California’s “one damned beautiful day after another.”
Our local news this morning mentioned wildfires in Washington state, but I didn’t catch the location in the state. Stay safe, Claire and kids!! Hope your go bags are ready and by the door, just in case.
Some of our local State parks have a Smokey the Bear out front with the daily fire forest danger, Extreme is our highest, and surprisingly not the rarest.
The Coast Range can get pretty dry. Most people think of the northwest as wet, but it’s a desert in the summer.
http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/tillamook_burn/
If you want to read a hair-raising account though, check out this eyewitness account of the Peshtigo fire:
http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/WIReader/WER2002-0.html