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How The Jet Stream Influences California Fires

ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0-igo, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59261701
Wildfire smoke in the Sacramento Valley and Sierra, 2008.

What causes the intense and long fire seasons in California?  The Pacific jet stream, among other features. 

Penn State University researcher Alan Taylor says the Pacific jet determines where moisture goes in California, and its recent movements suggest more rain than snow, and continued hot, dry fire seasons. 

Taylor recently published research on the subject, including reconstruction of 400 years of data on the movements of the jet.  Alan Taylor visits to lay out his work.
 

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The Jefferson Exchange is Jefferson Public Radio's daily news program focused on issues, people and events across Southern Oregon and Northern California. Angela Decker is the program's senior producer, Charlie Zimmermann is the assistant producer, and Geoffrey Riley hosts the show.