Fires in Sonoma County

[snowball]

I may be mistaken but I think Diane and Karen are off camping in Oregon eastern part although they probably
are on the western part as they said that they were over the passes...again I may have the wrong person
but think it is Mtgal
sheila

not Diane but Laura

[MandysMom]

!

The Trader Joe’s in Santa Rosa burned down.

Lyn

Lynn I just looked it up Trader Joes Santa Rosa had some damage but did NOT burn down per store manager.
However over 3600 homes are gone. Tonight will test the fire lines as about a hour or two from now winds are projected to come up with gusts to 50 mph and no one knows if they can hold the lines. Sure hope they can. The death toll continues to rise with more bodies found today. So sad. winds will continue through most of Saturday then go way down.
Velda

[SoCalGalcas]

Thanks Velda for that info. It is frustrating being so out of touch. I will take any info anyone has. Lyn

[Cudedog]

Thanks Velda for that info. It is frustrating being so out of touch. I will take any info anyone has. Lyn

A few good places to find fire news:

Yuba Net
https://yubanet.com/Fires/ (excellent source of information on the fires in the northern Sacramento valley surrounding foothills)

Cal Fire (official California government website)
http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents

KCRA channel (Sacramento NBC television affiliate. News programs streamed online)
http://www.kcra.com/nowcast

A terrible, unprecedented situation going on here in California.

I am often asked why bad wildfire seems to occur here in California every year. One of the main reasons probably is the climate, which seems to be getting hotter and drier (climate change, anyone?).

Summer temperatures in California's Central Valley where I live (near Sacramento - it's not the desert here, folks) can (and do) reach 115 degrees - or more (not a typo - I'll write it out. One hundred fifteen degrees F). This summer was the hottest I can remember in my forty years of living in the area. From early June until just recently, in October, daily high temperatures were consistently 100+ (many many days of 112 to 115 degrees). Add to that the fact that the foothills around all of the California valleys (California is not flat! Not even close! California is mostly mountains, foothills and valleys) are covered with highly flammable grass, trees and brush.

Add to that the "icing on the cake": California receives NO appreciable rain (in many/most areas of California this means exactly NONE) from early April until (these days) often late November.

Then, in October, before the rain, the seasonal high winds that you are reading about begin to gust.

Heat + No Rain + Dry Fuels + Wind = Disaster

Something so simple as, say, a tire chain that might come loose on a school bus and drag on the pavement creating sparks, can ignite a major conflagration in these kinds of conditions.

When I first moved to the northern California foothills in about 1977, the first hard freeze came mid-September and it wasn't unusual to see a bit of snow by the end of September. These days the first hard freeze generally doesn't come to the foothills until sometime in December or January. Or later. Snow often not at all.

Anne

[mtngal]

Hiya travel pals, thanks for thinking of me Lyn, but as Sandi said I'm near Sonora not Sonoma. Easy to get those two confused though! I was so disappointed this am to read new evacs in both Sonoma and Santa Rosa. Oh, and while I wish I was there, it's Karen and Laura up in east OR having all the camping fun. Hoping weather forecast is correct and the winds will end soon!

[Cudedog]

Check out this map showing possible current encroachment of the Adobe fire (the fire that burned Santa Rosa) now into the city of Sonoma:

https://sartopo.com/map.html#ll=38.30578,-122.24524&z=11&b=om&a=mba,modis_mp

Encroachment of the fire into Sonoma is currently unconfirmed.

Check out my post regarding California fires:

http://womenrv.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=16580

Anne

[OregonLuvr]

Hiya gang, yes it is Karen and Laura that had a great driving day today from eastern Oregon. Sunny and windy from Pendleton to Biggs then the winds died down and and the Columbia river began to look smooth as glass. And our view was the majestic Mt Hood covered in snow above the river....breathtaking for sure.

Laura is home in Salem and I am in an rv park just south of Salem, going to stay here 2 nights so I can clean the Motorhome and flush the tanks good in preparation of winterizing. Will be staying home this winter but will look for a good place for a Spring trip.