by John Towsen and his wife Riley Kellogg watched in horror last Sunday as flames in the surrounding trees grew closer to their home of nearly five years. They suddenly realized they had no choice but to evacuate.
“We didn’t know if we were going to go back to our house or not,” Towsen told CNN three days later as he stood outside his home in Greenwood Lake, about 35 miles northwest of New York City.
Behind him, firefighters were still working to put out the flames that had threatened the neighborhood, leaving behind rows of burned trees. “It’s kind of a miracle that we still have a home and we’re very grateful for that,” Kellogg added.
Across the street, she pointed to a home that she says was destroyed by a microburst – a blast of sinking air during a severe thunderstorm – during a severe thunderstorm in May, just a month after a magnitude 4.8 earthquake , which could cause damage similar to a tornado, shook their community.
“I hope that the disasters we’ve experienced really remind people of what’s going on on a global scale,” Kellogg said. “And how, when we see the impact of that on our own lives here, we can really connect it to what’s happening around the world and how our actions and our connections and what we do in our governments, how that “everything has had an immediate impact on our lives.”
Riley Kellogg spoke to CNN from her neighborhood, which was in danger of being destroyed by the Jennings Creek/Sterling State Park fire. -CNN
It was a year of unusual extremes for New Yorkers.
In April, a magnitude 4.8 earthquake shook buildings in parts of the northeast. According to the National Weather Service, tornadoes occurred in several cities throughout the summer. In July, an EF2 tornado ripped through Rome during a severe storm, killing one person and causing extensive damage. An EF1 tornado in Buffalo also damaged buildings and trees and overturned cars in August.
According to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office, there are currently 13 wildfires affecting more than 5,000 acres statewide. The fires include the Jennings Creek/Sterling State Park Fire, which devastated areas along the New Jersey-New York border. An 18-year-old volunteer New York State Forest Ranger and state employee died Nov. 9 when a tree fell while responding to the Greenwood Lake wildfire.
Human-caused climate change is leading to increasingly extreme wildfires around the world and in the United States, showing us how the climate crisis is upending lives and causing billions of dollars in damage every year. Fire experts say things will only get worse.
According to the New York City Fire Department, there have been over 230 wildfires in New York City alone since October 29th. A brush fire in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park burned two acres of dry vegetation, spurring firefighters to battle the blaze for more than three hours, the fire department said.
Only 0.01 inch of rainfall was recorded in New York City in October, making it the driest month in the city since records began in 1869, a spokesperson for the New York City Emergency Management Department told CNN.
“Central Park typically receives over 8.5 inches of rain in September and October, but has only received about 1.5 inches since the beginning of September,” the spokesperson said. “That’s a huge difference.”
Due to this lack of rainfall, the number of droughts in the Northeast has increased significantly. As of November 5, about 55% of the region was experiencing some form of drought, providing ample fuel for wildfires. The National Weather Service issued warnings last week for over 50 million people, including Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York and Boston.
Climate change is fueling the extreme wildfire season
Record-breaking heat waves, severe floods and wildfires exacerbated by rapid climate change are the new normal – and people should get used to unusual and extreme weather conditions, according to climate researchers and experts.
“Everything is getting a little crazier. There is a scientist who called it “Global Weirdness.” Everything is getting weird,” Stephanie Spera, assistant professor of geography, environment and sustainability at the University of Richmond, told CNN. “Almost every single person can say they have experienced an extreme weather event, be it a hurricane, a tornado, a wildfire, or a blizzard.” It’s getting harder and harder.”
Earthquakes, most of which are the result of shifting geological plates sliding past each other, are not linked to climate change, says Brenda Ek Wurzel, director of scientific excellence at the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Recently, scientists have also noticed an increase in tornado reports in the Northeast. According to the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 32 tornadoes have been reported in New York so far in 2024 – compared to 10 in 2023 and 7 in 2022.
In May 2024, a house in New York was destroyed by a micro-explosion. – CNN
Scientists are still studying how the climate crisis could increase tornado activity. But as climate change has created a warmer, wetter and more unstable world, conditions that lead to powerful thunderstorms that can form tornadoes are more likely, according to the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.
“I can say without hesitation that warmer climates create more favorable conditions for storms, generate more energy for storms, and stronger storms can lead to higher occurrences of tornadoes,” Spera said.
While scientists are less confident about the general impact of climate change on severe thunderstorms, they are more confident that it is causing the unusually warm temperatures that are causing droughts in New York and other parts of the country.
Wildfires are fueled by a number of natural and human-caused factors. However, scientists believe that global warming is leading to more frequent, intense and severe fires. Higher temperatures are the clearest cause of wildfires caused by climate change. This is partly because heat removes moisture from vegetation, making it much more flammable.
Across the street from Towsen and Kellogg, Esler and Maureen VanHouten also watched the fire get closer to their home. Despite their fear, they did not leave their community.
“Why should you stay? There are earthquakes and tornadoes, but it’s your home,” Maureen said. “Something just keeps you here.”
Maureen and Esler VanHouten speak to CNN. -CNN
The couple kept looking over their shoulders at first responder trucks speeding up and down their street. They haven’t been able to sleep through the night since the fire started last week.
“It’s your home and you’re just so afraid of what’s going to happen, it has so much sentimental value,” Maureen said. “Our children grew up here. I know people say, ‘Oh, it’s just a building,’ but there are so many memories.”
Greenwood Lake Mayor Tom Howley said their community is not used to dealing with fires of this magnitude.
“We get snow, we get rain, we get fires, but we don’t experience any real extremes. This is the most extreme thing I’ve ever seen,” Howley said.
Now that the region is experiencing an increase in wildfires, people should always keep an eye on warnings for their area, says Ek Wurzel of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
“These particular wildfires are often started by human causes, just carelessness or something triggering something,” she said. “I’ve been getting alarm alerts on my weather app so I know not to start a fire, but if people don’t get that information they might accidentally start a small fire and not know how to dry the conditions. “
As humans continue to heat the world through fossil fuel pollution, scientists warn that these types of fires will only become more common.
“I have two young children and I am very afraid of what this means for the future if the new administration rolls back really progressive policies,” Spera said. “I wish people would step up and get involved in community organizations at this point, because I don’t know what’s left. Think about those places you love and want to keep for your grandchildren.”
For more CNN news and newsletters, create an account at CNN.com
