Western Fires Caused by Humans...Shocking!

It’s not enough but the major ski areas of western Colorado are finally receiving some snow.  A bigger snow system is blanketing states from Illinois to New York tonight, but it is December and that’s what’s supposed to happen.   We have another front coming here late Thursday that will bring back the heavy weather gear for Friday & Saturday, but a warm up could have us back to 70+ for Sunday-Wednesday of next week.  Long range models continue to indicate a prolonged blast of Arctic air will engulf much of the country Dec. 20-30^th with the possibility of an eastern snow storm.   Since we are in a La Nina pattern, it was expected to be a drier Winter for most of the country and so far, that has been the case.  The West needs the rain and snow, but unless the current pattern breaks down, that is not going to happen.  

 

 

 

 

We all have seen the videos of the terrible western fires with many of the AGW crowd screaming, “ah huh, ah huh, global warming making it worse.”   What I have wondered is,  why  don’t we hear anything regarding  how these fires start?   Sometimes lightning starts wildfires, however, California hasn’t seen any storms so how do all these fires start?  A tossed cigarette?  A camp fire?   Kids playing with matches?    Finally I was watching a  national newscast yesterday that said the Thomas fire was started by an “illegal cooking fire”.   So I wondered still, how could that happen when the National Weather Service issued an extreme fire danger warning days earlier?   Yep, man is causing a worse fire season, but it’s not because of CO2.  I think it’s something called stupidity.  Add in some 30-40 million more residents since the 60s building into canyons and mountains and Walla, the fire seasons are worse.  Solutions?  How about we require all folks using matches & lighters to register with Homeland Security folks with a 72 hour waiting period before a license is granted(just like guns).  You think that’ll work?   Nah!  Better idea is…if you are found to have set a fire, accidentally or not during the high fire danger period, you will be jailed and/or fined severely.  Too harsh?  Tell that to the thousands of homeowners who lost everything and have to rebuild from scratch.  We need to hold people, parents, kids accountable for doing something stupid that harms others.  I’m surprised the lawyers aren’t all over that.  Maybe they are?

 

Luckily with all the water around us, we have limited fire dangers.  Another front is coming late Thursday bringing back the heavy weather gear for Friday & Saturday,  A warm up on Sunday could have us back to 70+ lingering into next week before a prolonged period of cold arrives for Christmas week.  In fact, much of the country could go into the deep freeze from the 20^th through New Year’s with the possibility of a snowstorm somewhere over the South up the East coast.  Right now, it doesn’t appear we will see a repeat of last week’s snow here, but Christmas Miracles do happen.   Stay tuned!