![]() On October 18, 2021, much of the state-particularly Northern California, where the majority of the significant fires had been located-received its first major precipitation since the start of the wildfire season. The USDA Forest Service temporarily closed all of California's national forests at the end of August to mitigate the impact of potential fires. Īs of August 18, 2021, the state of California was facing "unprecedented fire conditions" as multiple fires including the Dixie Fire, McFarland Fire, Caldor Fire, and others, raged on. The state also faces an increased risk of post-wildfire landslides. As of July 11, more than three times as many acres have burned compared to the previous year through that date, with drought, extreme heat, and reduced snowpack contributing to the severity of the fires. The 2021 wildfire season was exceptionally severe in California, although it did not approach the extent of the previous year's wildfire season, which was the largest season in the state's recorded history. The long term trend is that wildfires in the state are increasing due to climate change in California. The January fires were exacerbated by unseasonably strong Santa Ana winds, and some of them burned in the same areas as previous fires like the CZU Lightning Complex. In January 2021 alone, 297 fires burned 1,171 acres (4.74 km 2) on nonfederal land according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, which is almost triple the number of fires and more than 20 times the acreage of the five-year average for January. The wildfire season in California experienced an unusually early start amid an ongoing drought and historically low rainfall and reservoir levels. ![]() Approximately 3,629 structures were damaged or destroyed by the wildfires, and at least seven firefighters and two civilians were injured. By the end of 2021 a total of 8,835 fires were recorded, burning 2,568,948 acres (1,039,616 ha) across the state. ![]() Once they have finished gathering their information and preparing their script, allow students to record or present their broadcast in class.The 2021 California wildfire season was a series of wildfires that burned across the U.S. To help students better understand the level of destruction caused by these wildfires, show them pictures (such as these) taken from within the wildfires themselves. They can also include the role of the Santa Ana and Diablo winds in the 2017 wildfire season. To add further information to their broadcast, encourage students to compare the amount of carbon dioxide that was emitted by wildfires in “wine country” to the emissions produced by automobiles in the state in a single year. How many fatalities were caused by the wildfires?.How much acreage was burned in the fires?.Between June and December of 2017, how many fires had burned throughout California?.Instruct students to address the following questions in their broadcast: Finally, have students work in small groups to write a script for a one-minute news broadcast that describes the damages caused by the wildfires. Then have students make a claim about these winds based on the evidence they have from the infographic and the article. Ask students to determine which areas of California were particularly affected by the two winds. Have students compare the information from the map in the article to the infographic map of California. Have students learn more about these winds by reading this article. Ask students to identify which winds are considered responsible for contributing to the wildfires severity (Santa Ana and Diablo winds). For instance, although the fires were spread throughout the state, the most devastating ones were located near the coast. Have students look at the map of California and ask them if they see any patterns in the location of the wildfires. Idea for Use in the Classroom This infographic shows the destruction caused by the 2017 California wildfires.
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