Global warming is widely predicted to lead to more forest fires, specifically in the south west of this country. The latest of these mega fires has burned more than 335,000 acres in Southern California since they began. More than half a million residents have been evacuated from their homes, and a state of emergency has been issued for seven California counties. At last count more than 1500 homes have burned.

This summer was especially dry so the arrival of the hot dry winter Santa Ana winds have made things worse. Santa Anas are a winter phenomenon, and they often peak in December or January so unfortunately this is only the start of what could be a very bad fire season.

To get an idea of the kind of scale we are dealing with…

This is what global warming looks like.