The 2017 North Bay and Southern California Fires: a Case Study
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fire Article The 2017 North Bay and Southern California Fires: A Case Study Nicholas J. Nauslar 1,2,* ID , John T. Abatzoglou 3 ID and Patrick T. Marsh 2 1 Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73072, USA 2 NOAA/NWS/NCEP Storm Prediction Center, Norman, OK 73072, USA; [email protected] 3 Department of Geography, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844, USA; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 15 April 2018; Accepted: 5 June 2018; Published: 9 June 2018 Abstract: Two extreme wind-driven wildfire events impacted California in late 2017, leading to 46 fatalities and thousands of structures lost. This study characterizes the meteorological and climatological factors that drove and enabled these wildfire events and quantifies their rarity over the observational record. Both events featured key fire-weather metrics that were unprecedented in the observational record that followed a sequence of climatic conditions that enhanced fine fuel abundance and fuel availability. The North Bay fires of October 2017 occurred coincident with strong downslope winds, with a majority of burned area occurring within the first 12 h of ignition. By contrast, the southern California fires of December 2017 occurred during the longest Santa Ana wind event on record, resulting in the largest wildfire in California’s modern history. Both fire events occurred following an exceptionally wet winter that was preceded by a severe four-year drought. Fuels were further preconditioned by the warmest summer and autumn on record in northern and southern California, respectively. Finally, delayed onset of autumn precipitation allowed for critically low dead fuel moistures leading up to the wind events. Fire weather conditions were well forecast several days prior to the fire. However, the rarity of fire-weather conditions that occurred near populated regions, along with other societal factors such as limited evacuation protocols and limited wildfire preparedness in communities outside of the traditional wildland urban interface were key contributors to the widespread wildfire impacts. Keywords: fire weather; fire climate; large wildfires; downslope windstorm; wildland urban interface; drought; foehn winds; Santa Ana winds; Diablo winds 1. Introduction California’s fire history is littered with fast-moving, destructive wildfires adjacent to populated areas [1,2]. Many wind-driven fires that occur in the coastal ranges of California burn across steep terrain with fuels shaped by a Mediterranean climate during periods of strong foehn winds in early autumn when fuels remain dry prior to the onset of cool-season precipitation [3,4]. The coincidence of land development in areas prone to wind driven extreme fire weather (i.e., Diablo winds [5], Santa Ana winds [6]) results in fire-related hazards for a large number of people [7]. Approximately one-third of Californians reside in the wildland–urban interface (WUI), with overall population living in the WUI expected to increase in the coming decades [8–10]. Large wildfires are not new to California’s landscape [11,12], but costs have escalated recently [13] due to the expanding WUI, the legacy of fire exclusion associated with suppression activities, and more favorable climatic conditions for large fires. Previous research has shown that fire exclusion increases fuel loading and the potential for larger fires in forests that have historically had smaller and more frequent Fire 2018, 1, 18; doi:10.3390/fire1010018 www.mdpi.com/journal/fire Fire 2018, 1, 18 2 of 17 fire [2Fire]. However, 2018, 1, x FOR the PEER impacts REVIEW of fire exclusion in shrublands, such as chaparral ecosystems in California,2 of 17 are more mixed and generally weaker [1,11]. Much of the western US has seen a noted increase in fire and more frequent fire [2]. However, the impacts of fire exclusion in shrublands, such as chaparral activityecosystems (e.g., burned in California, area extent, are more number mixed of and large generally fires) over weaker the [1,11] past. several Much of decades the western [14] US in parthas due to changesseen a innoted climatic increase conditions in fire activity that favor (e.g., andburned facilitate area extent, fire in number flammability-limited of large fires) over forests the past [15]. By contrast,several trends decades in fire [14] activity in part havedue to been changes more in subdued climatic inconditions Mediterranean that favor California and facilitate ecoregions fire in and acrossflammability broader southern-limited California forests [15] [14. By,16 ,contrast,17]. The reasonstrends in behind fire activity these diverginghave been trendsmore subdued may be tied in to a decreaseMediterranean in reported California fire ignitions ecoregions [17], which and across are nearly broader all southern human-caused California [18 ],[14,16,17] as well. as The anthropogenic reasons activitiesbehind including these diverging land-use, trends fire policies,may be tied and to diligent a decrease fire suppressionin reported fire [19 ignitions]. Nonetheless, [17], which interannual are climatenearly variability all human does-caused exhibit [18] significant, as well as relationshipsanthropogenic to activities burned including area extent land in- theseuse, fire regions policies, [3, 17and,20 ,21]. Mediterraneandiligent fire ecosystems suppression are [19] intermediate. Nonetheless, productivity interannual biomes climate where variability fire is oftendoes notexhibit purely significant fuel-limited relationships to burned area extent in these regions [3,17,20,21]. Mediterranean ecosystems are or flammability-limited during the fire season [22]. Additionally, such ecosystems in California are intermediate productivity biomes where fire is often not purely fuel-limited or flammability-limited largelyduring co-located the fire with season sizeable [22]. Additionally, human populations such ecosystems and anthropogenic in California land are uselargely [19], co yielding-located lesswith direct correlationssizeable to human climate populations variability thanand anthropogenic in other areas withland ause low [19] anthropogenic, yielding less footprintdirect correlations where wildfire to is moreclimate directly variability limited by than climate in other (e.g., areas fuel-limited with a low or climate-limited)anthropogenic footprint [23]. where wildfire is more Indirectly 2017, limited US federal by climate wildland (e.g., fire fuel suppression-limited or climate costs-limited) exceeded [23] $2.9. billion US dollars making it the costliest fireIn 2017, season US on federal record wildland [24]. More fire thansuppression 4 million costs hectares exceeded (ha) $2.9 burned billion in 2017,US dollars which making is the secondit mostthe area costliest burned fire since season 1984, on record and only [24] 40,000. More than ha below 4 million that hectares in 2015 (ha) [24 ].burned For context, in 2017, wewhich note is the that US burnedsecond area most statistics area burned include since Alaska, 1984, which and only often 40,000 contributes ha below substantially that in 2015 [2 to4] annual. For context, total we burned note area. Whilethat over US 2 burned million area ha burnedstatistics ininclude Alaska Alaska, in 2015, which just often over contributes 260,000 ha substantially burned in Alaska to annual in 2017total thus burned area. While over 2 million ha burned in Alaska in 2015, just over 260,000 ha burned in Alaska highlighting the elevated level of fire activity in the contiguous US. The US wildfire season started across the in 2017 thus highlighting the elevated level of fire activity in the contiguous US. The US wildfire southernseason Plains started in early across March the southern but reached Plains its peakin early in August March andbut September.reached its Thepeak national in August preparedness and level,September. which is a categoricalThe national measure preparedness of national level, firewhich activity is a categorical and the number measure of of fire national suppression fire activity resources committedand the and number available, of fire remained suppression at its resources highest levelcommitted for 39 and consecutive available, days remained in 2017 at (72its highest total days) level when largefor conflagrations 39 consecutive were days found in 2017 from (72 northerntotal days) California, when large into conflagrations the Pacific were Northwest found from and eastwardnorthern into MontanaCalifo coincidentrnia, into the with Pacific one ofNorthwest the warmest and eastward and driest into summers Montana in coincident the observational with one of record the warmest for much of the regionand driest [25,26 summers]. The 2017 in the fire observational season culminated record for with much the of wind-driven the region [2 North5,26]. BayThe 2017 fires fire in October season and southernculminated California with fires the inwind December-driven (FigureNorth Bay1), both fires extreme in October wildfire and eventssouthern [ 27 California]. The North fires Bay in fires December (Figure 1), both extreme wildfire events [27]. The North Bay fires were reminiscent of the were reminiscent of the 1964 Hanley Fire in Napa and Sonoma counties and October 1991 Oakland Hills 1964 Hanley Fire in Napa and Sonoma counties and October 1991 Oakland Hills fire due to the rapid fire due to the rapid spread of wind-driven fires in densely populated areas around the San Francisco Bay spread of wind-driven fires in densely populated