Extreme fire weather in southern California linked to Climate change 

Los Angeles area is in the midst of catastrophic fire since 7 January 2025 that has claimed several lives and has caused immense damages to properties in the region. The key driver of the fires is the powerful Santa Ana winds however the fires were triggered by the ignition of the dried-up vegetation due to extremely dry local weather. The region had witnessed rapid swings between extremely wet and extremely dry conditions (volatile climate whiplash) which were boosted by atmospheric warming and climate change. On climate related note, the year 2024 was the warmest year on record and the first calendar year to exceed the 1.5ºC limit above the pre-industrial average set by the Paris Agreement.  

Sothern California on the West coast of USA is in the midst of massive fire due to extreme fire weather. As on 12 January 2025, four fires are still raging the Los Angeles area and nearby regions which has cost sixteen lives so far and caused damages worth over $150 billion. Red Flag Warnings to continue through Wednesday in view of another round of Santa Ana winds in the Los Angeles area.  

The first fire erupted on Tuesday 7 January 2025 in Palisades which is the biggest fire in the region and is still raging. Eaton Fire is the second largest. It is one week since fire in Los Angeles area started and Palisade, Eaton, Hurst, and Kenneth fires are still burning despite all efforts to control.  

The Fires, most likely, ignited in the dried-up leaves and vegetations in the extremely dry local conditions in the Los Angeles areas. It is powerful Santa Ana winds that is droving the fires to a catastrophic level.   

The region had been seeing frequent transitions between very dry and very wet conditions. The last very wet condition with heavy rainfall meant a massive growth in the vegetation in the areas which could not be sustained in the subsequent extremely dry spell of weather. The resultant dried up leaves and biomass easily ignited to give rise to fires.  

In the first place, what caused frequent transitions between very dry and very wet conditions? Atmospheric warming and climate change seems to have boosted whiplash climate conditions worldwide. According to a recently published review, volatile climatic conditions (i.e., rapid swing between extremely wet and extremely dry conditions that is referred as climate whiplash) have increased by 31 to 66% since the mid-twentieth century along with anthropogenic carbon emission in the atmosphere. Further, the rapid swings in climate conditions that evolved with warming and climate change is not limited to a region but is a global phenomenon.  

On a climate related note, recent data suggest that the year 2024 was the warmest year on record and the first calendar year to exceed the 1.5ºC limit above the pre-industrial average set by the Paris Agreement.

There is an urgent need of effective climate actions to reduce emissions.  

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References:  

1. Swain, D.L., Prein, A.F., Abatzoglou, J.T. et al. Hydroclimate volatility on a warming Earth. Nat Rev Earth Environ 6, 35–50 (2025). 10.1038/s43017-024-00624-z 

2. Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S). News – “2024 on track to be the first year to exceed 1.5ºC above the pre-industrial average”. Posted 9 January 2025. Available at https://climate.copernicus.eu/2024-track-be-first-year-exceed-15oc-above-pre-industrial-average 

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