If Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Burbank, and other areas of California are in your travel plans over at least the next week, you may want to consider delaying your travel — or, at least, keep yourself updated as to the latest information pertaining to the weather — as wildfires continue to rage out of control.
Travel Alert November 2018: California Wildfires
MEGAPIXELS: NASA provides a powerful view of California’s deadly wildfires https://t.co/Vf4BTkFAY6 pic.twitter.com/k6iJKhiRaK
— Popular Science (@PopSci) November 10, 2018
The National Weather Service had issued a red flag warning for most of Los Angeles and Ventura counties from today, Saturday, November 10, 2018 through Tuesday, November 13, 2018 at 5:00 in the evening Pacific Standard Time; and the mountains in Santa Barbara County have also been under critical fire weather conditions — but wildfires can be unpredictable; and an extension of that warning would not be surprising.
A combination of extremely low humidity, Santa Ana offshore winds of up to 25 miles per hour with gusts of up to 35 miles per hour, and dry timber and brush have been hampering efforts by thousands of firefighters to get all of the wildfires under control.
Cataclysmic wildfires burning through California leave behind staggering scenes of devastation: https://t.co/kVNYusSy45 pic.twitter.com/BaaB7Fl9Wd
— Slate (@Slate) November 10, 2018
Now cited as the most destructive wildfire in the history of the state of California, the Camp wildfire in Butte County is only one of a number of wildfires plaguing California has already consumed greater than 90,000 acres, killed at least nine people, and destroyed greater than 6,700 structures — many of them in the ironically-named town of Paradise, which was burnt to little more than ruins by the fire.
The #CampFire, seen here by #NOAA-20 on Nov. 8, now covers about 70,000 acres and is only 5 percent contained, according to @CAL_FIRE. More: https://t.co/JNmgUsLiv8 pic.twitter.com/3X7kJejQ8a
— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) November 9, 2018
Meanwhile, the Woolsey fire northwest of Los Angeles remains completely out of control at zero percent containment.
Pacific Gas & Electric Company told state regulators that it experienced a problem on an electrical transmission line near the site of the blaze minutes before the Paradise fire broke out. The utility said it will cooperate with any investigations. https://t.co/T2LwbpAqRG
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) November 10, 2018
In addition to the interruptions in logistical efforts to contain the wildfires and mitigate further destruction, heavy smoke permeates the air — enough to interfere with all modes of travel and significantly degrade the quality of the air itself.
Northern California has endured its share of destructive wildfires back in October of 2017 — which became the most destructive in the history of the state — and prompted numerous travel advisories from airlines and the closures of numerous hotel and resort properties. Southern California also suffered from wildfires back in December of 2017.
Flight Waivers, Delays and Cancellations
If you are traveling to Los Angeles and some of the aforementioned areas, expect delays and cancellations of flights. Keep up to date on the latest information pertaining to the wildfires which may adversely affect your travel plans. Better yet, postponing or canceling your trip might be a better option — no matter which mode of travel you plan on taking.
If you have a flight scheduled, your flight may be delayed or canceled — and you may be eligible for a waiver of a fee to change your itinerary. If you are driving in any of these areas, watch out for deteriorating weather conditions due to thick smoke and traffic problems — including road closures.
Here are three airlines which have issued travel alerts as a result of the wildfires:
- American Airlines has issued travel alerts for Burbank, Los Angeles, Oakland and San Francisco for Saturday, November 10, 2018 through Sunday, November 11, 2018; and Sunday, November 18, 2018 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
- United Airlines has issued travel alerts for Burbank, Los Angeles and San Francisco for Friday, November 9, 2018 through Sunday, November 11, 2018; and Sunday, November 18, 2018 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
- Southwest Airlines has issued travel alerts for Burbank, Los Angeles and San Francisco for Friday, November 9, 2018 through Monday, November 12, 2018; and Monday, November 26, 2018 is the last day on which tickets must be reissued and rebooked travel must begin.
Summary
No rain is in the forecast for at least the next two weeks in northern California and at least three weeks in southern California for the areas affected by the wildfires — but temperatures are expected to cool down later this month, which potentially could be of some help to the firefighting efforts.
Be sure to contact your airline or transportation provider for the latest information pertaining to your travels — if they are adversely affected — and please: travel safely.
