Siberia is on fire
Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2020 4:43 am
https://www.sciencealert.com/so-i-don-t ... is-on-fire
Siberia experiences hottest spring on record, fueling wildfiresRussian Emergencies Minister Evgeny Zinichev has said that in Krasnoyarsk, 10 times as much territory was ablaze on April 27 compared to the same time last year, while in Transbaikal it was three times, and in the Amur region it was one and a half times as much.
In the Transbaikal region alone, this amounts to 200,000 hectares burnt – a larger area than the whole island of Maui, Hawaii.
And unfortunately, the cause is likely the worst mix of climate change, and COVID-19 cabin fever.
According to authorities, the fires have originated from a variety of sources, including out-of-control agricultural fires, arson, and untended campfires.
"People self-isolated outdoors and forgot about fire safety rules," says Sergei Anoprienko, head of the federal forest agency Rosleskhoz.
"In some regions, the temperature is already around 30 degrees C [86 degrees F], and people just can't keep themselves in their apartments."
"People rushed outdoors, and as a result we have a surge of thermal points," he added.
A few hundred miles south of the Arctic Circle, the small town of Boguchany in Siberia, Russia, had its hottest April on record. On April 25, the temperature soared to 31° Celsius (87.8° Fahrenheit), even though it should be much cooler at this time of the year.
Other parts of Siberia, and the greater continent of Asia, also experienced record heat. On April 27, the temperature in Tokmak, Kyrgyzstan, reached 35.1°C (95.2°F), while at Ayding Lake, China, the temperature peaked at 43.5°C (110.3°F). Over the past few months, Europe has also been dealing with abnormal heat during its warmest winter on record.
