Daniel Swain in The Weather Channel: California Sweltering in All-Time Record Heat and Wildfire Smoke Now Faces Santa Ana Wind Threat

California’s latest heat wave smashed some all-time records, contributing to another explosion of wildfires that already topped a state record a month before their typical peak time of year.

The intensity of the fire thunderstorm’s rising column of air, or updraft, didn’t simply loft ash, but also unusually large fire debris up to about 1 foot in diameter, according to Daniel Swain, UCLA climate scientist and California weather expert.