So the flurry of flying embers that were blowing around in California, is that common?
Like I know embers and sparks travel, but I never imagined this absolute flurry of embers
Examples:
I'm not an expert, just living in a country that has lots of bushfires, Australia.
Fire spreads in all manner of ways. Embers can be picked up by the wind and transported kilometres away from the firefront. Birds can pick up embers and drop them away from the fire. Burning materials can get stuck underneath a vehicle, or fire can race against the wind up a hill.
Something to keep in mind is that fire is a chemical reaction that needs fuel, oxygen and heat.
Birds can pick up embers and drop them away from the fire.
Is this common?
They also deliberately use fire to smoke out prey. The phenomenon calls them "Australian Firehawks".
Some birds like use smoke as a way to fumigate their feathers, so will pick up embers and take them somewhere, as this is safer than standing next to a fire.
As I understand it, in Australia it's not uncommon. I don't know if it happens elsewhere.
They do controlled burns, but the ability to do that safely has been hampered by years of drought conditions. At least Democrats admit climate change exists I guess?
That and fire is extremely hot when it's big. If you've never been near a house fire or a forest fire, you might underestimate just how hot shit can get even several feet away from the actual fire or embers. Hot enough to ignite things even without actual contact. You may see them dumping water nowhere near any flames, and it's to hopefully slow or stop it from spreading.
Embers are generally the spread method for fires but the winds in CA right now are extremely strong.
One curious thing to note though is that the heat of fires tends to create convection currents that locally increase wind - in this case that effect is just supplementing strong standing winds.
UCLA Climate scientist, Daniel Swain talks about this exact topic during his recent interview with Adam Connover on his podcast, Factually.
Go to timestamp 17:45 and you'll hear Swain talk specifically about how this was a unique firestorm.
Earlier in the interview (around the 12:00 minute mark) Swain points out that it has to do with the increasingly longer periods in between wet and dry periods that are occurring that contributed so heavily to the conditions for a fire of this magnitude becoming more likely to occur, especially when particularly strong Santa Ana Winds occurring this year.
Edit: Name spelling.
That's the guy in the first video I linked.
Its only southern thank god. Most of us are still ok.
Ashes tend to go up so that is partially what you are seeing.
100% yes
That is how fire travels further faster and can hop over fire breaks and highways.
The uplift caused by the fire can send heavier and longer burning embers higher, which then the wind can carry a fair distance away.