West LA Times

From Southeastern flooding to Southwestern fire weather, there is much to discuss on the climate change front. UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain will address these issues during his YouTube "Office Hours" session on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 3 p.m. PT.

The session will cover the catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Helene and anticipated record highs from another major heat wave in the broader Southwest. Viewers can join live to submit questions or watch the recording later.

Swain has shared his thoughts on Southern Appalachian flooding through social media, describing it as the “most extreme rain” in over 100 years of record-keeping. He compared these risks to a severe flood scenario projected in California. His recent blog post also addresses both flooding and fire weather.

Regarding the Southwest, Swain stated: “I would expect fire activity to continue to increase through this week as temperatures stay sustainedly high, even closer to the coast, and then also begin to pick up across the interior West again by this weekend as persistently very hot temperatures continue." He noted that places in the West that do not usually see major wildfire activity in October or November may experience it this year.

Swain also commented on another major heat wave: “Another major heat wave has already arrived but won’t peak until Tue/Wed (along the NorCal coast) and then later this week (further inland across CA and the interior West). There are some indications that weak offshore flow could push temperatures around 100 degrees Fahrenheit all the way to the coast even in places like SF."

Discussing ongoing fires, he mentioned: “The Line Fire, which had been pretty inactive in recent days since it started during the record heat wave in SoCal during early September, roared back to life yesterday from within containment lines and various evacuation orders and warnings have been reissued. As of this writing, additional new fires are popping up in NorCal amid hot, dry and breezy conditions.”

Swain also highlighted Phoenix's unusual weather patterns: “Phoenix will continue to experience an extraordinary and record-shattering string of midsummer-like temperatures that continues right on into October.”

On Southern Appalachian flooding caused by Hurricane Helene’s remnants, Swain remarked: “Helene’s remnant circulation made a beeline for the Southern Appalachian Mountains, bringing a round of record-breaking torrential tropical rainfall... The next result is the worst regional flood catastrophe the United States has seen in some years (and likely the worst this region has experienced in recorded history)."

He concluded with a warning about California's flood risk: “California faces a real risk of similarly catastrophic flooding.”