New Mexico wildfires burn out of control as US battles under heat alerts | BBC News

Summary

Wildfires in New Mexico have destroyed over a thousand homes, forcing an entire town to evacuate. In contrast, Texas faces the first tropical storm of the season, Alberto, causing flooding with heavy rainfall and strong winds. Meanwhile, the Northeastern U.S. endures a heatwave affecting 70 million people. Experts warn that these extreme weather events, including rampant wildfires in California and the early fire season, are signs of climate change, with more severe conditions expected.

Takeaways

• 🔥 Wildfires in New Mexico are uncontrolled, destroying over a thousand homes and forcing entire towns to evacuate.
• 🌡 Northeastern United States under heat alerts, affecting more than 70 million people.
• 🏠 Residents of Roso, New Mexico, are sheltering in evacuation centers after being engulfed in smoke and flames.
• 🌲 California wildfires are rampant, with firefighters battling multiple fires across thousands of hectares of dry brush.
• 🌪️ Wind-driven fires combined with low humidity can cause massive damage in California.
• 🌊 Tropical Storm Alberto in the Gulf of Mexico is causing flooding in Texas and Mexico with heavy rainfall and strong winds.
• ⛈️ An unusual weather pattern with Alberto has led to a thunderstorm dropping rain and hail on wildfires in New Mexico, complicating firefighting efforts.
• 🏜️ The West is experiencing hot, dry weather, increasing the risk of more wildfires and worsening existing ones.
• 🌡️ A long-duration heatwave in the Northeast is expected to last until at least the weekend, with high temperatures and no immediate relief.
• 🌍 Experts suggest that the early and aggressive fire season, along with other extreme weather events, are signs of climate change.
• 🌡️ The Clausius-Clapeyron relationship indicates that warmer air can hold more moisture, leading to heavier rainfall and flooding in some areas, and drier conditions and more wildfires in others.

Q & A

What is the current situation with the wildfires in New Mexico?

Wildfires in New Mexico are burning out of control, having destroyed more than a thousand homes and forcing the entire population of one town to evacuate.

How many people are under heat alerts in the northeast of the United States?

More than 70 million people in the northeast of the United States are under heat alerts.

What is the impact of the wildfires in California?

In California, hillsides are ablaze, with thousands of hectares lost due to dry brush catching fire, and firefighters are struggling to control a dozen separate fires.

What is the connection between the wildfires and climate change according to the script?

Experts suggest that the early and aggressive fire season, along with hot and dry weather, are the real-time effects of climate change, indicating that these incidents are becoming more extreme due to human influence on the atmosphere.

What is the current weather situation in Texas?

Texas is experiencing the effects of Tropical Storm Alberto, with flooding caused by heavy rainfall and strong winds along the coastline.

What is the unusual aspect of Tropical Storm Alberto's formation?

Alberto formed in an unusual way for this time of year, with a broad swirl in the atmosphere over the Gulf of Mexico that consolidated and brought a significant amount of moisture into Texas.

What are the weather conditions contributing to the spread of wildfires in the West?

The hot and dry weather across the remainder of the West is leading to more rampant wildfire conditions, making it easier for fires to burn and fuels to dry out.

What is the current heat wave situation in the Northeast?

The Northeast is experiencing a long-duration heat wave with temperatures in the upper 30s Celsius, and it is expected to last until at least Friday or Saturday, possibly lingering into early next week.

How does the Clausius-Clapeyron relationship relate to the current weather conditions?

The Clausius-Clapeyron relationship indicates that for every degree Celsius the air temperature warms, the air can hold 4% more water. This means heavier rainfall and more flooding where moisture is available, and drier conditions and more wildfire activity where it's not.

What is the role of the heat dome in the current Northeast heat wave?

The heat dome, a sprawling ridge of high pressure, is pushing away storms and clouds, leaving the sun to bake the ground with hot, dry, sinking air, contributing to the intensity and duration of the heat wave.

What are the concerns regarding the impact of Tropical Storm Alberto?

The main concerns are flooding, both coastal and inland, due to the significant amount of rainfall and strong winds associated with the storm.

Outlines

00:00

🔥 Wildfires and Extreme Weather in the U.S.

The video script discusses the ongoing wildfires in New Mexico, which have led to the destruction of over a thousand homes and the evacuation of an entire town's population. It highlights the challenges faced by local fire crews and residents, such as Frank and Connie, who are now in an evacuation center. The script also covers the broader impact of wildfires in California, where dry brush and wind-driven fires are causing significant damage. Additionally, the northeastern United States is experiencing a heat wave affecting over 70 million people. The video connects these events to the real-time effects of climate change and mentions the early and aggressive start to the fire season, with more hot and dry weather expected. The contrast is drawn with Texas, where the first tropical storm of the season, Alberto, is causing flooding due to heavy rainfall and strong winds.

05:02

🌡️ Northeast Heat Wave and Climate Change Impact

This paragraph delves into the ongoing heat wave in the Northeast, which is affecting a densely populated area with over 70 million Americans under heat alerts. The heat wave is attributed to a 'heat dome,' a high-pressure ridge that prevents clouds and storms, leading to persistent hot and dry conditions expected to last until the weekend or possibly into the next week. The meteorologist, Matthew Kuchi, explains the connection between these extreme weather events and climate change, noting that while heat domes are common in summer, they are becoming more intense and longer-lasting. He also discusses the Clausius-Clapeyron relationship, which suggests that warmer air can hold more moisture, leading to heavier rainfall and flooding in some areas, and drier conditions and increased wildfire activity in others. The video concludes with a live update from Galveston, Texas, showing the impact of Tropical Storm Alberto as it makes landfall, with strong winds and waves.

Keywords

💡Wildfires

Wildfires refer to uncontrolled fires in wildlands, which can be devastating to ecosystems, property, and human life. In the video's context, wildfires in New Mexico have destroyed over a thousand homes, illustrating the severity of the situation and the theme of natural disasters impacting communities.

💡Evacuation

Evacuation is the organized removal of people from a dangerous area to a safer one. The script mentions the entire population of one town being ordered to evacuate due to wildfires, highlighting the urgency and impact of the disaster on residents' lives.

💡Heat Alerts

Heat alerts are warnings issued by authorities to inform the public of dangerously high temperatures. The script reports that over 70 million people in the northeastern United States are under heat alerts, connecting to the broader theme of extreme weather events affecting large populations.

💡Climate Change

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns, primarily as a result of human activities. The video discusses the real-time effects of climate change on weather events, such as wildfires and heatwaves, suggesting a link between these disasters and global environmental changes.

💡Tropical Storm Alberto

Tropical Storm Alberto is a specific weather event mentioned in the script, representing the type of extreme weather conditions that can lead to flooding. Its formation in the Gulf of Mexico and impact on Texas exemplify the varied and severe weather patterns occurring across the country.

💡Humidity

Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air. The script discusses how low humidity can exacerbate wildfire conditions by making fuels drier and easier to ignite, directly relating to the worsening wildfire situation in California.

💡Debris Flows

Debris flows are rapid mass movements of water, earth, and rock debris down slopes. The script mentions debris flows as a consequence of the rainfall from Tropical Storm Alberto, showing how weather events can lead to secondary disasters.

💡Flash Flood Emergencies

Flash flood emergencies are alerts for sudden and severe flooding that poses an immediate danger. The script connects flash flood emergencies with the rainfall from the tropical storm, illustrating the rapid and dangerous impact of extreme weather.

💡Heat Dome

A heat dome is a weather phenomenon where a large area of high pressure traps hot air, leading to prolonged periods of extreme heat. The script describes a heat dome affecting the Northeast, contributing to the theme of extreme and enduring weather conditions.

💡Clausen-Clapeyron Relationship

The Clausius-Clapeyron relationship is a principle in physics that explains how the air's capacity to hold water vapor increases with temperature. The script uses this concept to explain how climate change can lead to more intense rainfall or drought, depending on the availability of moisture, linking it to the varying weather extremes discussed.

💡Fuel

In the context of wildfires, fuel refers to the materials that can burn, such as dry vegetation. The script mentions how hot, dry weather leads to 'unburnt fuel' becoming drier, making it easier for wildfires to spread, connecting this concept to the worsening fire conditions.

Highlights

Wildfires in New Mexico are burning out of control, destroying over a thousand homes and forcing entire towns to evacuate.

More than 70 million people in the northeastern United States are under heat alerts.

In Roso, New Mexico, a wall of flames and heat overwhelmed local fire crews, forcing residents to flee.

California faces devastating wildfires with thousands of hectares lost and firefighters struggling to control multiple fires.

Experts warn of an unusually early and aggressive fire season with months of hot, dry weather ahead.

Tropical Storm Alberto in the Gulf of Mexico causes flooding in Galveston, Texas, and Mexico.

Alberto's formation is unusual for this time of year, with a broad swirl in the atmosphere over the Gulf of Mexico.

Moisture and easterly winds from Alberto have crossed into Eastern New Mexico, affecting wildfire conditions.

Debris flows and mud flows due to rainfall from Alberto have prompted evacuations and flash flood emergencies.

The Northeast is experiencing a long-duration heat wave with temperatures in the upper 30s Celsius.

Heat domes are becoming more intense, longer, and severe, possibly due to climate change.

The Clausius-Clapeyron relationship explains how warming air can hold more water, leading to heavier rainfall or drier conditions.

Climate change is making weather events more extreme, though not directly causing them.

Live footage from Galveston, Texas, shows the impact of Tropical Storm Alberto with strong waves and winds.

Matthew Kuchi, a meteorologist, discusses the unusual weather patterns and their links to climate change.

North America is bracing for more extreme weather as the season progresses.

Transcripts

wildfires in the state of New Mexico are

continuing to burn out of control

they've now destroyed more than a

thousand homes and the entire population

of one town was ordered to evacuate it's

not the only problematic weather in

America in the north east of the United

States more than 70 million people

remain under heat alerts will grant

reports from

California or inspiring but deadly a

towering wall of flames and heat bearing

down on the town of Roso in New Mexico

has overwhelmed local fire Crews and

forced residents to flee most just

thankful to leave with their lives but

shaken Frank and Connie lawyer both 83

are Sheltering in an evacuation Center

lucky to have made it out at all we

could see the smoke change and we were

engulfed in

smoke that scared me to

death I don't know whether we're going

to have a home there are several people

in that area just above

us that lost their

home in California these are now all too

familiar scenes hillsides are Blaze

thousands of hectares lost as Tinder dry

brush catches a light and firefighters

struggling to bring around a dozen

separate places under control it is

devastating especially when you get

these wind driven fires and you have all

this unburnt fuel combined with relative

humidity it can create massive damage as

Californians endure another season of

rampant wildfires warnings over extreme

weather are in place across the country

from heat waves in the Northeast to a

tropical storm in Texas a nation

experiencing the realtime effects of

climate change and this is just the

start experts say this has been an

unusually early and aggressive Fire

season with several months of hot dry

weather ahead the contrast with the scen

in Texas couldn't be Starker the first

tropical storm of the hurricane season

in the Gulf of Mexico has caused

flooding in galvaston as well as in

Mexico itself as North America braces

itself for more extreme weather to come

will grant BBC News Southern

California well you heard there will

referencing galison in Texas tropical

storm Alberto is forming in the Gulf of

Mexico Texas is being hit we can bring

you now live pictures coming to us uh

from the coastline in Galvis still

obviously at nighttime hours there it's

quite dark but you can see pal trees

blowing very uh bending I should say uh

in the wind uh very strong waves there

hitting the shoreline as well in

Galveston let's bring in Matthew kuchi

who's a meteorologist for the my radar

weather app based in Washington uh

Matthew thanks for joining us um

obviously you're in a big country lots

of different weather problems uh across

the continent um tell us firstly uh

about tropical storm Alberto and what

the the concerns are for how much damage

it could

do yeah so Alberto formed in a rather

unusual way for this time of year we had

something called the Central American G

essentially this big swirl in the

atmosphere kind of Broad and diffuse

over the Gulf of Mexico the Bay of cichi

the ukan peninsula and the Western

Caribbean but we had a lobe of tighter

ticity or spin really consolidate today

and work ashore in Mexico but at the

same time that broader circulation is

steering an absolute fire hose of

moisture into Texas with 5 to 10 cm

worth of rainfall in many areas thus far

another 10 cm set to come and already

we've seen winds gusting up to about 60

km per hour but again flooding is that

main concern both Coastal and Inland

okay let's shift gears and go to uh New

Mexico Mexico itself and California the

wildfires there what's in the forecast

that could make it easier or perhaps

harder to bring these fires under

control that's a that really good

question and something kind of strange

happened today moisture and easterly

winds at the midle levels from that

tropical storm we just talked about

Alberto crossed into Eastern New Mexico

where that big fire was burning near

ruid do or prompting the evacuations

earlier this week that helped spawn a

rotating thunderstorm that dropped golf

ball siiz tail onto the Wildfire along

with prolific rainfall now on one hand

the rainfall is good because it cuts

back in the fire on the other hand that

leads to debris flows and mud flows

prompting evacuations there and flash

flood emergencies to be issued then hot

dry weather across remainder of the West

is leading to more rampant Wildfire

conditions making it easier for those

fires to burn and fuels to cure or dry

okay let's head to the Northeast now one

of the most densely uh populated parts

of the country more than 70 million

Americans there remaining under heat

alerts uh for for how

long yeah this is a really long duration

Heat Wave I can tell you I stepped

outside earlier on today and only being

out for 30 seconds a minute is more than

enough for me temperatures in the upper

30s are around 40 celsi in some places

it feels like temperature pushing to 40

celi in a number of major Northeast

cities the reason a big heat Dome a

sprawling Ridge of high pressure it's

like a forest field it pushes away any

storms the jet stream any clouds leaving

the sun to bake the ground with hot dry

sinking air and these temperatures

likely to stick around until at least

Friday or Saturday and honestly I I

think there's a good chance it could

linger into early next week as well as

that heat Dome sort of merges and and

sort of reforms a little bit and Matthew

the age-old question with extreme

weather like this H what links can we

draw between these incidents and and

climate

change so right off the bat we know that

heat domes always occur in the

summertime but the scale is sort of

tilting to make them disproportionately

more intense longer duration and more

severe so again that may be something

we're seeing nowadays in addition I want

to talk about something called the

Clauses claperon relationship basically

it's a a relationship that says that for

every degree celsius the air temperature

warms the air can hold 4% more water

where there's moisture available you get

heavier rainfall rates more flooding

where it's not available you get more

moisture sucked out of the ground drier

conditions so in Cali

that could mean more drought and more

Wildfire activity out there whereas in

Texas right now where the atmosphere is

saturated it could support more flooding

so nothing is really caused by climate

change but things are becoming more

worse more extreme due to human

influence on the atmosphere okay Matthew

kuchi from the my radar weather app

thank you for joining us uh let's take

you back to Galveston Texas where you

can see these live pictures H coming

into us from the coastline tropical

storm Alberto beginning to make landfall

you can see the impact of them H in the

uh the strength of the waves and just

how much those palm trees are blowing in

those very strong winds we'll bring you

more uh from there as the storm develops

throughout the day