Last Updated on July 11, 2025

I witnessed some crazy wildfires back when I lived in California. The Atlas and Patrick fires both burned less than 15 miles from my home in 2017.

As someone who’s lost everything to fire before, it was an incredibly uneasy and tense time. And it only seems to be getting worse – the Canadian wildfires were so bad in 2023 that the smoke reached New York.

Wildfires aren’t always linked to climate change – sometimes they’re started by arsonists, mismanagement, or natural causes. But climate change is definitely making wildfires worse and more frequent – leading to something called fire weather.

But what exactly is fire weather, and how can we prepare for it? Is there a way to prevent it? Here’s everything you need to know to keep yourself informed, safe, and ready.

what is the definition of fire weather?

Fire weather refers to any time the conditions are right for a blaze – typically issued as a warning when an area has been too hot, dry, and windy for substantial amounts of time. Fire weather doesn’t mean there are any actual fires – it simply means there could be.

According to NOAA, fire weather watch alerts will be issued whenever these three critical elements are met:

• sustained winds averaging 15 mph or greater 
• relative humidity 25 percent or less 
• temperature 75°F or greater 

When these fire weather conditions are met, the landscape is primed for really disastrous infernos that can be difficult to control and put out.

For instance, The Camp Fire of 2018 moved so quick that it overwhelmed the city of Paradise, killing 86 people, many trying to leave in their cars. 

what are the 5 critical fire weather conditions? 

The five critical fire weather conditions include high air temperatures, low precipitation, low soil moisture, low relative humidity, and gusty winds. When you mix all five of these together, you get ample weather that fuels fires.

Here’s a deeper dive into each element:

1. High air temps: Very warm temperatures can strip moisture from easily combustible materials, like grass 
2. Low precipitation: Lack of rain or snow, or in extreme cases, a drought 
3. Low soil moisture: When soil moisture is low, vegetation is likely dry and stressed, making it easy kindling 
4. Low relative humidity: If there’s a lack of water vapor in the air, it makes kindling (grass, brush, etc) easier to burn 
5. Gusty winds: Winds can strengthen flames, should a fire ignite 

how do you prepare for fire weather? 

The best way to prepare for fire weather is to stay on top of weather conditions. Springtime is when most wildfires occur, but secondary fire weather season occurs during fall.

Be mindful that climate change affects wildfires, making them more common and less predictable. Be sure to monitor alerts on your phone and check National Weather Service (NWS)’s fire weather map consistently. 

Another way to prepare for fire weather is to create an action plan, in case there is a fire. You should research and check your location on FEMA’s website to get information about disaster declarations in both the past and present.

Listen for wildfire evacuation orders and take them seriously: Devise a plan with your family members so you all know where to regroup and meet, should you have to evacuate.

Having a bug out bag full of supplies is a great idea. A bug out bag can be stashed under the bed, in a closet, or in a car – but it should be somewhere you can easily access.

Here’s what to pack in a bug out bag:

• First aid kits 
• Medications + supplements 
• Physical maps (important if you lose GPS signal) 
• Essential documents (passport, insurance, birth certificate, etc.) 
• Flashlights 
• Pet food + supplies 
• Non-perishable food (canned goods, trail mix, etc.) 
• Water (4-pack of aluminum bottled water) 
• Extra phone chargers (Nimble is a sustainable brand that uses recycled materials) 
• Solar powered radio 
• Extra clothing and pairs of underwear (ideally enough for a week) 
• Toiletries (safety razors, shampoo bars, body wash, etc.)  
• Menstrual care products (Kayaness and/or organic tampons) 

RELATED: How to Build An Eco-friendly Emergency Kit 

how can we reduce chance of wildfires? 

Obviously being prepared for the worst is important, but what if we could reduce their occurrence? Good news:There are several ways we can reduce the likelihood of fire weather alerts (and wildfires in general).  

controlled burns

It may seem counterproductive, but doing controlled burns will help reduce wildfires. Why? Because a planned fire can remove dead grass, fallen tree branches, dead trees, and thick undergrowth – aka, the kindling that fuels wildfires.

Planned burns are done when weather conditions are not fire weather conditions – and can be properly controlled and monitored. Ash from burnt vegetation also releases nutrients back into the soil, allowing for new vegetation to grow and promoting biodiversity.  

You can learn more about controlled burns via Nat Geo but it’s important to note it’s nothing new – indigenous people have been practicing controlled burns for decades. We can advocate for more controlled burns by writing to our local reps, learning more about them, and simply spreading awareness.

tackling climate change 

By having strong climate policy in place, we can ensure fire weather becomes less common. Voting for people who vow to protect the environment – both on local and national levels – is essential to this.

Getting involved in your government, emailing and calling your local reps, and volunteering your time at environmental non-profits are all great ways to fight climate change on a collective level.  

On an individual level, taking steps to reduce your own carbon footprint too (like switching to renewable energy and driving less) is also a great idea. And of course, don’t forget to make plastic-free swaps or start composting if you haven’t yet! 

RELATED: 4 Ways to Fight Climate Change as One Person 

creating drought tolerant lawns

If you live in a state that’s prone to droughts (like California), investing in drought-tolerant landscaping is a great way to reduce risk of fires. Drought-tolerant plants require less water and can be less susceptible to igniting.

Xeriscaping is worth looking into, as well as planting fire-resistant plants (agave, succulents, red yucca, etc).  

Looking into native plants is also worth checking out, as these plants require less maintenance and tend to be more durable in your specific climate. My friend Shelbi recently turned her lawn into a native pollinator habitat and I’m here for it!

Do you have any questions on fire weather? Let me know in the comments!

The post What Is Fire Weather? Is it Preventable? appeared first on Going Zero Waste.

What Is Fire Weather? Is it Preventable?

Ice loss from melting glaciers around the world due to global heating could cause pressure to be released from volcanic magma chambers located deep underground.

The process — already seen in Iceland — makes volcanic eruptions more frequent and powerful, according to new research conducted in the Chilean Andes.

“As glaciers retreat due to climate change, our findings suggest these volcanoes go on to erupt more frequently and more explosively,” said lead author of the research Pablo Moreno-Yaeger, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as The Guardian reported. “We found that following deglaciation, the volcano starts to erupt way more, and also changes composition.”

While eruptions are suppressed, magma melts crustal rocks, making the molten rock more viscous and setting the stage for it to be more explosive when it erupts.

Melting glaciers and ice caps could unleash wave of volcanic eruptions, study says

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— The Guardian (@theguardian.com) July 7, 2025 at 7:18 PM

“Glacial loading and unloading can impact eruptive outputs at mid- to high-latitude arc volcanoes, yet the influence on magma storage conditions remains poorly understood. Mocho-Choshuenco volcano in the Andean Southern Volcanic Zone has been impacted by the advance and retreat of the Patagonian ice sheet,” the authors of the study wrote.

The findings of the study were presented on July 8 at the Goldschmidt Conference in Prague. The research suggests that hundreds of subglacial volcanoes that have been dormant — especially in Antarctica — have the potential to become active as glacial retreat accelerates under climate change, a press release from the Goldschmidt Conference said.

Since the 1970s, scientists have been aware of the link between increased volcanic activity and retreating glaciers in Iceland. However, this is among the first studies to examine this type of event in continental volcanic systems.

The findings could help scientists better comprehend, as well as predict, volcanic activity in glacial regions.

To study how past volcanic behavior was influenced by the retreat and advance of the Patagonian Ice Sheet, the researchers used crystal analysis and argon dating across six Chilean volcanoes, including now-dormant Mocho-Choshuenco.

Volcano paper alert ! Our new 40Ar/39Ar + 3He ages and magma compositions on Mocho-Choshuenco show an interesting behavior of the volcanic complex before, during, and following the Last Glacial Maximum. See here pubs.geoscienceworld.org/gsa/gsabulle…

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— Pablo Moreno-Yaeger (@pmorenoyaeger.bsky.social) June 7, 2024 at 6:45 PM

Through the analysis of erupted rock crystals and precisely dated earlier eruptions, the research team was able to track how the pressure and weight of glacial ice altered the characteristics of underground magma.

They discovered that thick ice cover at the peak of the last Ice Age roughly 26,000 to 18,000 years ago suppressed eruption volume, allowing a large silica-rich magma reservoir to accumulate 10 to 15 kilometers underground.

The sudden loss of weight from the rapidly melting ice sheet as the last Ice Age ended caused a relaxation of the crust and an expansion of gases in the magma. The pressure led to explosive volcanic eruptions deep within the reservoir, causing formation of the volcano.

“Glaciers tend to suppress the volume of eruptions from the volcanoes beneath them,” Moreno-Yaeger said. “The key requirement for increased explosivity is initially having a very thick glacial coverage over a magma chamber, and the trigger point is when these glaciers start to retreat, releasing pressure — which is currently happening in places like Antarctica.”

Moreno-Yaeger said the findings suggested the phenomenon wasn’t limited to Iceland, but could happen all over the world.

“Other continental regions, like parts of North America, New Zealand and Russia, also now warrant closer scientific attention,” Moreno-Yaeger said.

Although in geological terms the volcanoes’ response to glacial melt is almost instant, changes to the magma system are gradual, occurring over centuries, which provides some time for monitoring and warnings to be issued.

The team noted that an increase in volcanic activity could impact the whole planet. Eruptions release aerosols that can provide temporary cooling in the short-term. This was the case following the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines in 1991. The explosion reduced global temperatures by roughly 0.5 degrees Celsius.

However, multiple eruptions have a reverse effect.

“Over time the cumulative effect of multiple eruptions can contribute to long-term global warming because of a buildup of greenhouse gases,” Moreno-Yaeger explained. “This creates a positive feedback loop, where melting glaciers trigger eruptions, and the eruptions in turn could contribute to further warming and melting.”

The post Melting Glaciers Could Lead to More Frequent and Explosive Volcanic Eruptions: Study appeared first on EcoWatch.

https://www.ecowatch.com/melting-glaciers-volcano-eruptions.html

In the introduction to Sharon Udasin and Rachel Frazin’s new book, Poisoning The Well: How Forever Chemicals Contaminated America, the authors cite an alarming statistic from 2015 that PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are present in the bodies of an estimated 97% of Americans. How did we ever get to this point? Their book is an attempt to explain that history, and to highlight those resisting the seeming inevitability of PFAS.

“I think we have the corporate cover-up and awareness on both the corporations’ and government’s part for decades upon decades,” said Udasin. “But we also see the power of regular people to effect change, to really bring about what politicians are not necessarily willing to do.”

The book tells stories of people deeply affected by ingesting PFAS, and the saga of how companies have been able to continue to churn out hundreds of different chemicals under the banner of PFAS, despite the risks and harms to human health. It is estimated that there may be at least 15,000 types of PFAS. 

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A post shared by RachelFrazin (@rachelfrazin)

“These products are useful — waterproof stuff is nice to have, and there are other uses like medical and military uses that are very important,” said Frazin. “You know, preventing jet fuel fires is essential. But the price that we pay for all of that is the contamination in these communities.”

Udasin and Frazin, both reporters for The Hill, fanned out into four communities in the U.S. – in Alabama, Colorado, Maine and North Carolina. In Alabama, they found people ingesting industrial PFAS emanating from the very locations that employed them. In Maine, PFAS-contaminated sludge was spread over farmland.

“Colorado is a story of military contamination, in which area installations released PFAS-laden firefighting foam into the environment, enabling the chemicals to make their way into groundwater and then in the faucets of unsuspecting residents,” said Udasin.

In Alabama, Udasin said, “The death was so visible.” A key figure in the book is Brenda Hampton, an Alabama native who developed life-threatening illnesses that doctors suspected could be linked to toxic chemical exposure. “Brenda’s ‘death tour’ through the tiny twin towns of Courtland and North Courtland was particularly striking to me, because the extent of the damage was visible in such a compact space,” Udasin said.

New book spotlights ‘forever chemicals’ in North Alabama: ‘I know I’m facing death.’ www.al.com/news/huntsvi…

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— Sharon Udasin (@sharonudasin.bsky.social) April 10, 2025 at 4:31 PM

Udasin’s reporting also helped reveal the ugly underside to rural areas of New England.

“Seeing the livelihoods of farmers ripped apart in the deceptively beautiful landscape of South and Central Maine allowed me to connect with both the people and natural beauty of that place — a place teeming with chemical contamination beneath its historic New England charm,” she said.

Alongside local reporting, the authors pored through documents looking for what Frazin called “needles in the haystack,” to unearth moments when companies – or the government – were aware of the potential toxic effects of PFAS but debated how to release that information.

“I believe we did have some original finds, including a document I dug up at the National Archives,” Frazin said, “where a doctor told the FDA that one of his patients who worked with Teflon was experiencing ‘angina-like’ symptoms. This document says the patient’s foreman told him the symptoms were caused by Teflon and that they all know about it.

“The corporations definitely had evidence of the adverse health impacts and ubiquity of PFAS for decades and still manufactured and sold PFAS-containing products,” she added.

Finds like these are highlighted throughout the book and tell the long and complicated story of the expansion of these “forever chemicals” into the world. The stories of death and illness are heartbreaking. But what Udasin and Frazin also discovered was that the crusade to break the hold of PFAS has become an ad-hoc national movement.

“I do think it’s become a grassroots national movement,” Udasin said, “because even all these local activists, they all know each other now, and they have created the National PFAS Coalition.

“When Brenda had her latest health incident, they were all from different sides of the country, getting together to check on her because they have created a national activist movement.”

Drinking water standards vary widely from state-to-state, which “creates an environmental justice issue, in which certain communities are less protected than others, through no fault of their own,” Udasin noted.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has currently issued PFAS drinking water regulations. Frazin said that “this rule is a massive deal that is likely to lead many communities to filter out PFAS from their drinking water. It would not be subject to enforcement yet because the rule first required water utilities to test for PFAS and then to install filters if it found levels of one of a few PFAS above a certain threshold.”

On top of this, Frazin noted that the Trump administration has reduced the types of PFAS that will be covered by this rule and that implementation will be delayed until 2031. Which, as Udasin noted, puts the onus more on states, “given the Trump administration’s decision to rescind and reconsider existing rules on drinking water standards.”

When it comes to the regulation of “forever chemicals,” it’s “just a big unanswered question whether this administration and this EPA is going to be serious about enforcing anything,” a former EPA official told ProPublica.

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— ProPublica (@propublica.org) July 8, 2025 at 11:01 AM

But the movement to improve drinking water standards — and decrease threats to human health — persists.

“I think that what I see is maybe the biggest difference between this movement and some of the other historical examples like movements on climate change or tobacco,” said Frazin, “is the media attention and the level of awareness. And so that’s what we’re trying to do – we’re trying to bring that attention to this issue. This issue has not received the attention it deserves.”

And Udasin noted that science might one day break the “unbreakable” chemical bonds that make up PFAS and perhaps reduce their toxic impact.

“I have a lot of hope in the science and technology that are actually currently being developed,” she said. “There are these brilliant scientists all over the world right now who in their laboratories are actually breaking apart the PFAS. A few of them are starting to be at commercial scale, or at least pilot-level commercial scale. So that gives me some hope that at least there may be a solution to getting rid of these at some point. And it’s not in the too-distant future.”

The post ‘Poisoning the Well’ Authors Sharon Udasin and Rachel Frazin on PFAS Contamination and Why It ‘Has Not Received the Attention It Deserves’ appeared first on EcoWatch.

https://www.ecowatch.com/poisoning-the-well-book-ecowatch.html