Alex Hall in the Daily Beast: The Weird Weather Fanning the Flames in Northern California

Alex Hall, a professor of atmospheric and oceanic sciences and director of the Center for Climate Science at UCLA, told The Daily Beast that temperature increases driven by climate change are certainly a major factor. 

“Especially in the last five years, there’s been a dramatic increase in the intensity of wildfires. That is, in part, driven by an increase in temperature,” Hall said. “The winds tend to be drier, and they are more likely to spread fire. Warmer temperatures also dry out vegetation more quickly.”