Jan 2025 California wildfires have been fueled by meteorological conditions strengthened by human-driven climate change

Contact Authors

Greta Cazzaniga, IPSL-CNRS, France 📨 greta.cazzaniga@lsce.ipsl.fr 🗣️ Italian, English, French

Davide Faranda, IPSL-CNRS, France 📨 davide.faranda@lsce.ipsl.fr 🗣️French, Italian, English

Press Summary (First published 2025/01/10)

Meteorological conditions similar to those triggering January 2025 California wildfires are up 5°C warmer, 3 mm/day (up to 15%) drier, and up to 5 km/h (up to 20%) windier in the present compared to the past, in the area interested by the fires.

This event was associated with very rare meteorological conditions

We ascribe the strengthened winds, higher temperature, and drier conditions triggering January 2025 California wildfires to human-driven climate change, and natural climate variability likely played a minor role.

Event Description

Beginning on January 7, 2025, multiple catastrophic wildfires, which are still ongoing, have impacted the Los Angeles metropolitan area and its surrounding regions. The fires were fueled by the interplay of different meteorological and hydrological conditions: very low humidity, dry conditions (with very little moisture over the past several months), and Santa Ana winds, exceeding 130-160 km/h in some places. The Santa Ana winds typically originate from cool and dry high-pressure masses in the Great Basin. The dry and powerful winds blow down the mountains towards the Pacific Coast, with gusts that can reach hurricane strength.

As of January 10, the wildfires have resulted in ten casualties, damaged thousands of structures, forced nearly 180,000 residents to evacuate, and burnt around 30,000 acres. The two largest fires were the Palisades Fire (in the Santa Monica Mountains) and the Eaton Fire (in the Altadena area of Los Angeles). Several celebrities, including Paris Hilton, Miles Teller, and Leighton Meester, lost their homes, while others like John Goodman and Anthony Hopkins were also deeply affected. The fires resulted in the cancellation of film premieres and award ceremonies, such as the Critics' Choice Awards, and disrupted community life. Relief initiatives, led by figures like Bethenny Frankel and Steve Guttenberg, are underway to support affected residents. Despite the tragedy, the community and public figures have rallied to navigate this unprecedented disaster, emphasizing resilience and solidarity.
https://www.climameter.org/20250107-08-california-wildfires