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California declares drought emergency
Heat is on: A firefighter battles wildfire near Azusa, California
LOS ANGELES: California Governor JerryBrown declared a state of emergency on Friday due to what could be the western US state'sworst drought in a century, which has sparked wildfires and hurt farmers. The declaration allows authorities to access federal help to battle the dry spell that has left huge swaths of tinder-dry forest vulnerable to going up in flames. On Thursday, a massive blaze raged just outside Los Angeles, damaging several homes and forcing residents to evacuate the area, where the fire risk had been elevated for weeks. Brown urged state residents to reduce their water use by at least 20%. "I've declared this emergency and I'm calling on all Californians to conserve water in every way possible," he said. Brown told reporters in San Francisco that the current conditions were possibly "the worst drought that California has ever seen since records (began) about 100 years ago," media reports said.
The region is suffering its third dry winter in a row, highlighted by the Los Angeles inferno . California and other western US states are routinely hit with wildfires during the summer, but winter blazes, like the ones burning currently, are relatively rare. AFP
Fresh cold wave to hit northern US
The polar vortex that gripped much of the country has moved on, but don't get too comfortable — another round of frigid air is expected to arrive next week across the northern US, from the Dakotas eastward to New England. It'll be cold, but not the life-threatening cold of last week when subzero temperatures enveloped much of the country. Temperatures will start falling over the weekend into Monday, said Bob McMahon, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. The cold is likely to persist until Thursday.
The region is suffering its third dry winter in a row, highlighted by the Los Angeles inferno . California and other western US states are routinely hit with wildfires during the summer, but winter blazes, like the ones burning currently, are relatively rare. AFP
Fresh cold wave to hit northern US
The polar vortex that gripped much of the country has moved on, but don't get too comfortable — another round of frigid air is expected to arrive next week across the northern US, from the Dakotas eastward to New England. It'll be cold, but not the life-threatening cold of last week when subzero temperatures enveloped much of the country. Temperatures will start falling over the weekend into Monday, said Bob McMahon, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. The cold is likely to persist until Thursday.
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