By dixie
Fire season is in full swing here in Southern California. The fires have been burning all week, but here in Pasadena things ticked along as normal, though a little hotter than usual. This morning, that all changed. I walked to work this morning and noted the beautiful clear sky. When I left the building this afternoon for lunch, Fire Sky had shown up.
Growing up, I’d heard of something called Snow Sky — the sky has a very specific “I’m about to snow on you” look. As far as I’m concerned, it’s still a fairy tale, since my experience with snow remains limited. I am familiar with Fire Sky, however, and can identify it immediately. Even if I hadn’t previously heard about fires in the area.
The key is the light. The sun, kindly emitting EM radiation in every part of the spectrum (though most of that gets filtered out by the atmosphere), sheds light that changes in colo(u)r and intensity depending on where it is in the sky (which in turn depends on the time of day and year). Sunsets, when the sun’s light has to travel somewhat lengthways through the atmosphere to get to my curious eyes, cast the world in a distinct rose-orange colo(u)r. This effect is more pronounced in some sunsets than it is in others, but I have a strong memory of standing outside my house in Georgia, looking down the steps and over the driveway, marvel(l)ing at the rosy light.
This is similar to the light you see through Fire Sky. It’s not like the light on an overcast day; shadows are still distinct under Fire Sky. It’s very much like sunset light. Which is just plain weird when you see it on your way to lunch at a normal lunch time.
Fire Sky looks otherwise like a bad smog day. It smells completely different — there’s a very faint smell of burning and ash. If you do a lot of running around, you can feel the ash in your nose and throat the longer you’re outside. Very sensitive people will have eye problems. People with asthma will get sick.
Google has an impressive map of the San Diego County fires here. A friend of mine (graduated and now working in San Francisco) recently sent word that her family was evacuated on Sunday — their home is smack in the middle of the Witch Fire burn zone. (That’s the really big one, if you’re looking at the map. It’s apparently converging with another fire, and is only 1% contained right now.) About all I can do is gawk in horror and hope the Santa Ana winds die down before more is destroyed.
Edited to add: There’s a map of the LA county fires as well, if you want to see the ones that are closer to where the Wanderer and I live. It looks like most of ours have been contained. Yesterday the air was better, but today it’s kinda crappy again. Keep people in your thoughts; there’s still a lot of danger for many people in California.
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24th of October, 2007
I am quite familiar with the “snow sky.” The best way for me to tell if it is going to snow is if I can’t see the mountains. The slate-grey sky is also a giveaway, but there is also a smell that can only be decribed as “cold-smelling.”
In other news, they’ve been covering the fires on our news lately. They actually went into a lenghty explination of what the Santa Ana winds are. Fun. I hope all is well with you out there!
24th of October, 2007
That is one scary looking map.
I’m glad MG confirmed the “snow sky” reports - it is really true. There are several senses involved, as “fire sky” involves what you see and what you smell. Snow sky involves what you see and what you hear. Turns out, and I have no idea why this is true, that there is a particular sound deadening effect that occurs when snow is getting ready to fall (usually within 6-12 hours of a snowfall larger than a dusting). That sound effect, plus the slate grey sky, plus a certain stillness in the winds equals snow, every time.
Be careful out there.
24th of October, 2007
Hmmm, Fire Sky and Snow Sky? Don’t get those much here. But on the other hand we get plenty of exposure to Rain Sky. It gets all cloudy, or it doesn’t sometimes, and it rains on you regardless of the time of year.
Still I can’t imagine Fire Sky being much fun. Let us know if it gets near to you ;)
24th of October, 2007
Wildfire phenomena is one of those things that produces breathtaking vista photographs that you nevertheless hope to never see in your neighbourhood, if at all.
For the sake of everyone living out there I hope the government is not prioritising politicking this crisis first and then trying to rescue people later.