The wind-whipped fires in Maui spread swiftly and created a deadly tinderbox, overwhelming residents and local officials in one of the nation맥스카지노�s deadliest wildfires.맥스카지노�It맥스카지노�s very strange to hear about severe wildfires in Hawaii 맥스카지노� a wet, tropical island 맥스카지노� but strange events are becoming more common with climate change,맥스카지노� Jennifer Marlon, a research scientist and lecturer at the Yale School of the Environment, told CNN.Fueled by a combination of strong winds and dry conditions 맥스카지노� and complicated by the island맥스카지노�s geography 맥스카지노� the fires have killed at least 36 people.맥스카지노�For those of us who맥스카지노�ve been working on this problem, it just makes us feel sick,맥스카지노� said Clay Trauernicht, an assistant specialist who studies tropical fire at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.Maui맥스카지노�s wildfire appears to be one of the deadliest in modern US history. The fire already ranks as the second deadliest in the past 100 years, trailing California맥스카지노�s Camp fire, which killed 85 people in November 2018, according to CalFire.Trauernicht said it was by far the deadliest wildfire in Hawaii맥스카지노�s history.These are some factors making it difficult to combat the fires that have plunged a state known for its stunning natural beauty into an unprecedented crisis:Drought contributes to fire spreadDrought worsened in Hawaii over the past week, leading to fire spread, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor released Thursday. Severe level drought conditions in Maui County ticked up to 16% from 5% last week, while statewide moderate drought levels jumped to 14% from 6%.Dried-out land and vegetation can provide fuel for wildfires, which then can swiftly turn deadly if strong winds help fan the flames toward communities.맥스카지노�It맥스카지노�s more a fuels problem than a climate problem 맥스카지노� which means that it맥스카지노�s a problem we can tackle,맥스카지노� Trauernicht said in a phone interview.맥스카지노�There are tangible actions that we could be taking that would reduce the risk of something like this happening in the future,맥스카지노� he added, referring to measures such as the creation of fuelbreaks to reduce fire-prone vegetation and support for agricultural land use.맥스카지노�It맥스카지노�s a priority when the fires are burning. But at that point, it맥스카지노�s too late.맥스카지노�Video below: Shock, sadness as travelers return from HawaiiWhile scientists try to fully understand how the climate crisis will affect Hawaii, they have said drought will get worse as global temperatures rise: Warmer temperatures increase the amount of water the atmosphere can absorb 맥스카지노� which then dries out the landscape.Drought conditions are becoming more extreme and common in Hawaii and other Pacific Islands, according to the Fourth U.S. National Climate Assessment, released in 2018. Rainfall has generally been decreasing in Hawaii over time, with the number of consecutive dry days increasing, scientists noted in the report.And the climate crisis has caused droughts that previously may have occurred only once every decade to now happen 70% more frequently, global scientists reported in 2021.맥스카지노�Combining abundant fuels with heat, drought, and strong wind gusts is a perfect recipe for out-of-control fires,맥스카지노� Marlon said by email.맥스카지노�But this is what climate change is doing 맥스카지노� it맥스카지노�s super-charging extreme weather. This is yet another example of what human-caused climate change increasingly looks like.맥스카지노�Hurricane-related winds fuel fire weather conditionsHurricane Dora, a fast-moving and powerful Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 140 mph, isn맥스카지노�t helping matters.As the storm roared south of Hawaii, a strong high-pressure system stayed in place to the north, with the two forces combining to produce 맥스카지노�very strong and damaging winds,맥스카지노� according to the National Weather Service.맥스카지노�These strong winds coupled with low humidity levels are producing dangerous fire weather conditions맥스카지노� through Wednesday afternoon, the weather service said.Video below: Drone video shows wildfires in MauiThe high winds, ongoing drought conditions and dry relative humidity are 맥스카지노�ingredients to spark those fires and to fan the flames,맥스카지노� CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam said.맥스카지노�The problem is that this wind 맥스카지노� similar to, let맥스카지노�s say, Santa Ana winds in Southern California 맥스카지노� is that it dries out and it warms up as it (travels down) the mountains, and it creates these very dry, timber-like conditions,맥스카지노� he said.Hurricane Lane in 2018 was also associated with large fires on Maui and Oahu, noted Abby Frazier, a climatologist and geographer at Clark University in Massachusetts.맥스카지노�Wildfire is a bigger issue in Hawaii than many people may realize,맥스카지노� Frazier said via email from Hawaii, where she has been working on a research project in Oahu.맥스카지노�During the wet season, fuels are built up and then dry out over the dry season,맥스카지노� she added. 맥스카지노�When you combine these dry fuels with the high winds and low humidity we have right now from Hurricane Dora, we have extremely dangerous fire weather.맥스카지노�Another compounding factor is El Niño, Frazier said. The climate pattern originates in the Pacific Ocean along the equator and impacts weather all over the world.맥스카지노�This means higher than usual hurricane activity in the central Pacific this summer,맥스카지노� she wrote.맥스카지노�While we tend to see wetter conditions during El Nino summers (which builds up fire fuels), Hawaii should expect drought conditions likely this winter, which will dry out the fuels and usually leads to an earlier start to our fire season for next year.맥스카지노�How the land is used has changedNonnative species now cover nearly a quarter of Hawaii맥스카지노�s total land area, and invasive grasses and shrubs become highly flammable in the dry season, Trauernicht said.Hawaii also has lost large plantations and ranches, with fire-prone grasses overtaking fallow lands, he said.맥스카지노�When plantations were active, firefighters would show up on scene 맥스카지노� people would be there opening the gates, all the roads were maintained, there was water infrastructure and equipment. And they would have support from the people working on these plantations,맥스카지노� Trauernicht said.맥스카지노�As that has changed, and land use has changed. It맥스카지노�s all on the firefighters right now.맥스카지노�Hawaii also has suffered from dramatic shifts in rainfall patterns.The area burned each year in Hawaii is now about 1% of the state맥스카지노�s total land area 맥스카지노� comparable to and often exceeding the 12 Western states on the mainland where fires are most common, according to Trauernicht and the Pacific Fire Exchange.Video below: Aerial video over western Maui shows fire damage to Lahaina areaGeography and limited resources stymie firefightingThe geography of Hawaii 맥스카지노� an island chain in the Pacific 맥스카지노� and limited firefighting resources also complicate efforts.Personnel at the state Division of Forestry and Wildlife are primarily natural resource managers, foresters, biologists and technicians 맥스카지노� not full-time wildland firefighters, according to the agency website.맥스카지노�West Maui is kind of a perfect example 맥스카지노� one highway through the whole place,맥스카지노� Trauernicht told CNN. 맥스카지노�Our resources are limited to what맥스카지노�s on island. The resources 맥스카지노� are going to be spread thin.맥스카지노�Fewer than 300 firefighting personnel responded to the state맥스카지노�s second-largest fire, on the Big Island in 2021, Trauernicht said.맥스카지노�If you compare that to the mainland, there would have been probably a couple of thousand firefighters,맥스카지노� he said.맥스카지노�That gives you a sense of the kind of 맥스카지노� limitations that we have here. This fire right now, I guarantee it, anyone who맥스카지노�s available to respond is responding. We don맥스카지노�t really have the ability to definitely bring in resources from other states. That맥스카지노�s not happening.맥스카지노�By Thursday, meanwhile, the wildfires had killed at least 53 people on the island, compared to six deaths reported just a day earlier.맥스카지노�I think this is going to be far worse than anything we맥스카지노�ve ever seen, unfortunately,맥스카지노� Trauernicht said.Despite warnings it seems many were taken by surprise.맥스카지노�The National Weather Service issued a kind of heads up. We had a few days lead time about the weather conditions,맥스카지노� Trauernicht said.맥스카지노�We anticipated the high winds and dry conditions. But managing fuels at the scale in which we need to, those are actions that need to be taken at minimum months in advance of these fires and these conditions.맥스카지노�Longer-term planning and prevention efforts are needed to fight the growth of invasive grasses and shrubs, Trauernicht said.맥스카지노�This is something that we맥스카지노�ve been saying for decades,맥스카지노� he said. 맥스카지노�We can create landscapes that are far less likely to burn, far less sensitive to these fluctuations in climate or in weather that create such dangerous conditions.맥스카지노�We sort of owe it to these guys that are fighting this thing right now.맥스카지노�