The main purpose of this ongoing blog will be to track planetary extreme, or record temperatures related to climate change. Any reports I see of ETs will be listed below the main topic of the day. I’ll refer to extreme or record temperatures as ETs (not extraterrestrials).😜
Main Topic: Wildfires Burning in Wake of western Heatwave Pemex
Dear Diary. Major CAT3 Heatwave Pemex peaked across the Southwest on Friday and Saturday producing many record temperatures, mainly in California. As a consequence of this long-lived system affecting the region twice over the summer, flora dried out and viola, we have more wildfires. Due to climate change, California is now like a yo-yo on a string, bouncing back and forth between brief wet periods in winter, which grow vegetation, harsh record heat in summer, which leads to wildfire, then back again to start another loop. I know that residents of California are tired of playing with this yo-yo.
Luckily, the start of California’s wildfire season has not proven to be deadly, but we are in for another anxiety filled time. Don’t forget thar the most destructive wildfire in the history of Los Angeles was the Palisades inferno in January of this year during the middle of winter.
The Pickett fire in Napa County is California’s first major wildfire of the season. Here are some details on that from the Washington Post:
Evacuations ordered after Pickett Fire in Napa County, California – The Washington Post
Pickett Fire prompts evacuation orders in California’s Napa County
The wildfire spread to more than 2,100 acres hours after erupting near Calistoga, authorities said. Evacuation orders were issued in parts of Napa County.
Updated August 22, 2025
A helicopter makes a water drop on the Pickett Fire as it burns near Calistoga, California, on Thursday. (Scott Strazzante/AP)
A fast-growing wildfire that erupted Thursday in Northern California has prompted evacuation orders in parts of Napa County and by early Friday had burned more than 2,100 acres.
The Pickett Fire started shortly before 3 p.m. local timenear the city of Calistoga. It was zero percent contained late Thursday and moving in a southeast direction, Cal Fire Battalion Chief Bob Todeschini said in a video update.
No structures were damaged and there were no injuries, said Todeschini,the Pickett Fire incident commander. An evacuation shelter has been set up at a church in the city of Napa. At least three helicopters, 53 engines, eight hand crews, eight bulldozers and four water tenders, along with 350 personnel, were deployed to work to contain the fire overnight, the local California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection unit said.
Authorities in Calistoga shared photos online of smoke billowing up into the sky from hills behind the region’s famed vineyards, but they stressed that evacuation orders were not in place inside the city limits. The fire was moving away from the city, the county’s alert system informed residents Thursday evening.
Additional evacuation orders for Napa County were issued Friday morning.
Wildfires in Los Angeles:
The latest: At least 27 people have died in multiple wildfires around Los Angeles. The Palisades Fire has destroyed thousands of buildings and burned through more than 23,700 acres, and the Eaton Fire consumed more than 14,000 acres — though crews were gaining ground on both after more than a week of fighting the flames. Track their spread in maps.
What we know about the fires: The direct cause of the fires has not been determined, but the Palisades Fire may have been caused by the reignition of a previous blaze. A Washington Post review found a key “weakness” in the Los Angeles fire strategy went unaddressed for years. The extreme behavior of the fires made containment efforts a challenge — and Los Angeles’ urban sprawl and water system left the city particularly unprepared for multiple blazes. See before and after images of the devastation, and our visual timeline of how the fires evolved.
Life in Los Angeles: The fires erupted quickly, in a way residents knew was possible but many were unprepared for. For the city’s service workers, the flames took jobs and dreams. For many, recovery will be slow and uncertain. Families of notable sports figures were among those who evacuated, and the flames forced cancellations of Hollywood events while some celebrities’ homes burned down.
More:
Here are more “ET’s” recorded from around the planet the last couple of days, their consequences, and some extreme temperature outlooks, as well as any extreme precipitation reports:
Here is More Climate News from Sunday:
(As usual, this will be a fluid post in which more information gets added during the day as it crosses my radar, crediting all who have put it on-line. Items will be archived on this site for posterity. In most instances click on the pictures of each tweet to see each article. The most noteworthy items will be listed first.)