Forest fires in California: Expert sounds the alarm - Dangerous weather phenomenon in Germany too?

Forest fires are currently raging in the western United States.

Dry thunderstorms are partly to blame.

A meteorologist explains the phenomenon - and creates a gloomy forecast for Europe too.

• Forest fires are

  raging

  in

  California

  and other US states

  and have already claimed numerous lives.

• A debate about the

  causes has

  broken out

  in the

  USA

  - and that at the highest political level.

• A meteorologist explains a

  weather phenomenon

  that he also expects to be an increasing danger for Germany.

California - It

is not uncommon for

rage

in the western United States

.

The duration and extent of the devastation, on the other hand, reach

year after year

.

The current forest fires, which began in California and have now spread to other US states, have been going on since mid-August and the flames have not yet been extinguished.

Dry thunderstorms: weather phenomenon is becoming more and more dangerous due to climate change

Meteorologist Jan Schenk describes

a

to

that allegedly plays a major role in the fire in California and can increasingly promote severe forest fires in Europe and Germany:

.

These would be favored by increasing global warming and also come to bear in the events in the western United States.

In the

over 13,000 lightning strikes were registered within ten days, says the scientist from the

.

+

Forest fires have raged in California since mid-August, accelerated by steadily increasing periods of drought.

© Noah Berger / AP / dpa

The dangerous: lightning and thunder occur without rain and are caused by

due to the development of heat on the earth's surface.

Schenk explains: “Fire clouds are created by extreme heat that is released in forest fires, for example.

The heat ensures that very large air masses rise within a very short time and clouds form even when the sky is actually clear, including soot and ash. "

These clouds of fire would then

develop

into

storms, which indeed generate liquid, but which evaporate due to the extreme heat before it reaches the ground.

The

this meteorological peculiarity in turn ignite

- according to Schenk, this was also the case with the raging fire in the

.

The warmer and drier the region, the greater the

a cycle that is dangerous for people.

As a result, the natural occurrence occurs more frequently in areas that suffer from extreme heat.

In the United States, 35 people have already been killed in the current forest fires, and many more are missing.

Forest fires due to dry storms are also a danger for Europe - and Germany

Is a

also

possible

in

?

Definitely, says Jan Schenk in the

article - and not only in southern countries such as Spain or Portugal: For Germany, too, fire clouds represent an increasing danger: “However, it depends on the intensity of the forest fire.

With increasing drought, especially in

, fire clouds and thunderstorms become more and more probable, ”reports the meteorologist.

Meanwhile, US President

 once again

denied

during a visit to the

.

“It will be cooler again.

You will see, "said Trump.

The opposition presidential candidate Joe Biden then described Trump as a "

".

Climate change favors dry thunderstorms: the risk of forest fires increases - and so does human risk

According to the unanimous opinion of scientists, the

partly responsible

for the forest fires in the western USA, which have been increasing in size for years

.

The

therefore leads to ever

in nature, which in turn

accelerated.

Peter Wohlleben, forest expert, revealed in an interview with

what measures would have to look like so that the increasing risk of fire can be stopped.

And that shouldn't please climate change deniers like US President Donald Trump:

The #climate change is the trigger of the forest fires in the #USA, says forest expert @PeterWohlleben.

In the interview he suggests arming the forests against it.

#Trump had again denied the #ClimateChange in #California.

Here is the interview with Wohlleben: https://t.co/0O6UpFH1Zb

- Deutschlandfunk (@DLF) September 15, 2020

Another problem with regard to climate change: the

.

The Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica is one of the largest in the world.

But it melts extremely quickly.

The main cause of forest fires is still people.

Often the result is inattention, sometimes arson.

As with what happened in Moria, the largest refugee camp in Europe.

List of rubric lists: © Noah Berger / AP / dpa