Temps and the CA fires

[GalvestonDuck]

I know, I know, fire is hot. Common sense.

I'm trying to figure out how to word this so it sounds right, because I know that no question here at Storm2K is stupid, but I don't want it to sound ignorant either.

From what I've heard in the past, the Santa Ana winds are warm, right? And I heard yesterday on the news that the SA winds are helping to spread the arsonist's wildfire rapidly. So, under non-fire conditions, southern CA would be experiencing fairly warm temps right now with a bit of wind.

Now, my question is -- just how much do the fires affect the temperatures in areas near where they are burning? Obviously, they can't actually record a temperature for the area that is burning, because it's on fire and it will register several hundred degrees. But how do meteorologists record an actual high and low climatological temperature reading?

Does that make sense?

[btangy]

Since fires burn so hot, they generate thermals which sucks in air all around them (hence, why sometimes you hear fires "generating their own weather"), so it doesn't really affect the LOs and HIs if that's what you mean, unless of course the reading is very near the fire.

During Santa Anas, the wind descends down the mountains usually dry adiabatically, which warms them up quickly and drys them out. This is why there is such extreme fire danger during these Santa Anas. Why this one is so incredibly bad is probably just timing and a higher than usual number of jerks committing arson.

Since there is a huge amount of smoke blowing over the valleys and coastal plain, it is actually reducing solar insolation and keeping the temperatures down some. Without the smoke today, it could have easily been in the upper 90s to near 100 degrees over much of the area.

[GalvestonDuck]

Excellent explanation! Thanks, btangy!