Photograph: Myung J Chun/Los Angeles Times/Rex/Shutterstock
Welcome to Southern California! This is the first really big fire of the year for us. The featured image is the view looking north from Santa Clarita.
The “Lake Fire” is burning through steep terrain in the Angeles National forest. It looks like the southern flank of the fire is along the Pacific Crest Trail. Winds are predicted to gut up to 20 mph. So far it has burned about 10,000 acres but there’s no containment yet. Hundreds have been evacuated and buildings burned.
Because of a hurricane cruising thru the Pacific, moist air is being funneled up thru the region. Not enough to cause a lot of precipitation that reaches the ground but there’s an increase in humidity and increased cloud cover which helps slow the fire’s rate of advance. This won’t last. The weekend is promising super hot and super dry with temps up to 110ºF (43ºC).
The cloud cover also increases the risk of dry lightning strikes. The weather giveth and the weather taketh away.
Can you imagine fighting a wildfire in such intense natural heat wearing heavy gear and thick protective clothing? I am constantly astonished by the human body’s ability to adapt to extreme conditions. 
August 13, 2020 at 12:12
Terrible. Ugh. When will all these disasters end?
August 15, 2020 at 02:39
This is pretty normal. for us. But they’ll just get worse. It is hotter and drier out here than it used to be.