As California authorities search for the causes of the Los Angeles County wildfires, many scientists agree that successive extreme weather events associated with climate change set up the dangerously dry conditions that led to the catastrophe.
After decades of drought, California experienced two years of extremely heavy rainfall in 2022 and 2023 that allowed vegetation to flourish. This was followed by record-breaking heat and dry conditions in late 2024 that resulted in an abundance of tinder-dry grass and shrubs by the time the first LA fires sparked on Jan. 7.
In a new report, scientists at the Yale School of Public Health warn that these compound extreme weather events—droughts, floods, hurricanes, and wildfires —pose an increasing threat to population health and highlight an urgent need for more robust public health preparedness and response. Individuals with pre-existing cardiovascular and other health conditions are particularly at risk, the report says.