The devastating wildfires that have ravaged Southern California erupted following a stark shift from wet weather to extremely dry weather — a phenomenon scientists describe as “hydroclimate whiplash.” New research shows these abrupt wet-to-dry and dry-to-wet swings, which can worsen wildfires, flooding and other hazards, are growing more frequent and intense because of human-caused climate change. “We’re in a whiplash event now, wet to dry, in Southern California,” said Daniel Swain, a UCLA climate scientist who led the research. “The evidence shows that hydroclimate whiplash has already increased due to global warming, and further warming will bring about even larger increases.” 

Related wildfire/water articles:

• The Washington Post: Why a wetter atmosphere is making California’s fires worse
• Los Angeles Times: Why hydrants ran dry as firefighters battled California’s deadly fires
• San Francisco Chronicle: Parts of L.A. could go days without clean water. Here’s how contaminants wreak havoc after fires
• Pasadena Star-News: Unsafe water advisory issued as Eaton and Palisades fires affect water supply
• Politico: Trump’s critiques of the Los Angeles fires, explained
• The New York Times: Pink fire retardant, a dramatic wildfire weapon, poses its own dangers
• The Associated Press: Earth records hottest year ever in 2024 and the jump was so big it breached a key threshold