Q: Could you tell me what the weather is like in Seattle now?
A: It’s not a weather problem, but a natural disaster. This time of year is wildfire season for West Coast states (California, Oregon and Washington). Depending on how wet or dry our winter was, fire season can start as early as the end of May and last until the beginning of October.
Between the three states, we usually have several hundred fires of various sizes during this time of year. Some of them are quite small and can be put out quickly, but others grow and grow and do tons of damage. We also usually share equipment and firefighters between states, because it’s our common problem.
California has poor water management policies, a large population, and a dry climate, so they typically have the worst fires. The land in southern California is almost always too dry, so it’s very easy for fires to start. A few years ago, a tiny spark from a power pole started a fire that completely destroyed several towns and killed many people and animals.
In my state (Washington), most of our fires are started by lightning. It’s common for us to have electrical storms in the summer, and lightning striking the dry brush easily starts fires.
Last week, we had very strong winds up and down the West Coast. Since we already had fires burning, this wind caused the fires to spread and grow very rapidly. In my state, the governor announced that more land had burned IN ONE DAY than in the previous 12 fire seasons combined. There are also massive, devastating fires throughout Oregon and California.
Because we all have so many fires burning at this time, the entire West Coast is covered in smoke now. The air quality has been extremely dangerous for about a week and a half. In my area, the air quality count has ranged from 191 – 295 over the past week (50 is normal). In other parts of my state, the count has reached 800!
While the fires are normal, this amount of smoke is not normal at all. In many parts of the West Coast, the sky has turned orange. It’s also been very dark outside – often looking like midnight when it’s the middle of the day.
People in Washington state rarely have air conditioning, so what it means for us is that we must close ourselves inside our homes with all the doors and windows closed tight. But without ac, each day the air inside gets hotter and more stale. At this point it has become quite hard to breathe, and it’s almost unbearably hot inside my apartment. We are all hoping for rain to wash away the smoke very soon!
（和訳）
Q: シアトルの天気はどんな感じ？
A: 天気の問題ではなくて、自然災害なのよ。1年のうちのこの時期、西海岸の州（カリフォルニア、オレゴン、ワシントン）は山火事の季節なの。冬の湿度や乾燥の状況によるけど、５月の終わり頃に始まって、１０月初旬まで続くわね。
この時期は３州で大小様々な火事が数百件おきるの。すぐに消火できるような小さなものもあれば、どんどん大きくなって大きな被害を及ぼすものもあるわ。州同士で機材や消防士を融通させているのよ。共通の問題だからね。
カリフォルニアは水の管理がまずいうえに、人口が多く、乾燥しているので、最悪の火事が起きているわ。南カリフォルニアはほとんどいつも乾燥しすぎでとても火事が起きやすいの。２、３年前、電柱からでた火花から火災がおきていくつかの町を焼き尽くし、たくさんの人や動物が亡くなったわ。
私の州（ワシントン）では、ほとんどの火事が雷から起きているの。夏は雷を伴う嵐がよくきて、乾燥した木の茂みに落ちた雷から発火するのよ。
先週、西海岸では南北に強い風が吹いたのね。既に火災が起きていたから、この風が急速に火災を大きく広げたの。私の州では、州知事が１日に焼かれた土地は過去１２年の山火事のシーズンを合わせた土地より広かったと発表したわ。オレゴンからカリフォルニアにかけて巨大で恐ろしい火事も起きているの。
今回はものすごくたくさんの火災が起きているので、西海岸全体が煙に覆われているわ。一週間半くらい空気が非常に危険なの 。先週の私の地域の空気質は191から295だったわ（通常は50）。私の州の別の地域では、800に達しているところもあるの！
火災は普通のこととしても、この量の煙は尋常じゃないわ。西海岸の多くの地域は、空がオレンジ色になったわ。外は暗くて、しばしば昼間なのに真夜中のようになっている。
ワシントン州の人はほとんどエアコンを持っていないのね。全てのドアと窓をきっちり締めて家の中にいなくちゃいけないんだけど、エアコンがないから、日を追うごとに中の空気が暑くなって、淀むの。今、息がしづらくなってきて、アパートの中は我慢できないくらい暑い。私たちはみんな、早く雨が降って煙を追いやってくれるのを願っているわ。
