VAWS: From Chinooks to Santa Anas: Fire Weather in Alaska and Southern California

Speaker: Eric Stevens, Fire Weather Program Manager, Alaska Interagency Coordination Center

Alaska’s forests burn every year, and wildfires have consumed an increasing number of acres in recent decades. But Alaska is not the only area experiencing this trend. Wildfires have become similarly concerning in California, with over four million acres burned during the record-setting 2020 season alone. This presentation will compare the 2019 and 2020 wildfire seasons in Alaska and California from the perspective of a fire weather meteorologist supporting the fire crews and land management agencies.

Holdover fire video