Although the Balkans are characterized by a moderate climate, we cannot help but notice that, especially in recent years, we are facing increasingly frequent and intense weather extremes. Longer dry periods were interrupted by heavy rainfall that caused floods, and the beginning of January was marked by spring temperatures. When we turn the globe and look the other way, to the United States, we see even more dramatic climate extremes happening right now.
On the west coast of the United States, in Los Angeles, a fire broke out on Tuesday morning, and in less than 24 hours it spread, covering almost 3,000 hectares in the Pacific Palisades. This fire has been characterized as the worst in Southern California since 2011. In this area, as reported by the world media, three more fires broke out, one of which covered more than 2,000 hectares. Strong gusts of wind that reached up to 145 kilometers per hour contributed to these consequences. Due to these circumstances, access to firefighting planes and helicopters was very difficult. The city of Pasadena also issued an emergency warning due to the insecurity of drinking water, advising citizens to use only bottled water for all purposes.
Moving towards the eastern part of the United States, one encounters a completely different picture. Almost at the same time, a severe winter storm hit the eastern part, bringing blizzards, heavy snowfall and very cold temperatures. Among the affected areas are Kansas, Missouri, Maryland, Virginia and others.
Extreme weather conditions led to the closure of the airport, temperatures of almost -20 degrees Celsius, endangering about 60 million people and interruptions in the supply of electricity.
Some areas have declared a state of emergency and forecasters are warning that this year’s winter storm could be the worst in a decade, predicting another winter storm that could bring even more snow from Friday to Saturday. The fact that Texas, where winters are usually mild, is under a warning also confirms how much climate change has a pronounced impact.
While these events remind us of the power of nature and its unpredictability, they also remind us of the importance of action in the fight against climate change and creating a future where extremes will not be the rule, but the exception.
Katarina Vuinac
The article Collision of two weather extremes in the USA appears first on Energy Portal.
Source: energetskiportal.rs
