Why a wildfire broke out in NYC
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Issue #210: wildfires in unlikely places, insights from an ER triage nurse, and your brain on icons
Two weeks ago, a wildfire broke out in the unlikeliest of places: New York City.
A 2-acre fire erupted in Prospect Park, close to the geographic center of Brooklyn and probably my favorite park on earth. For the first time in history, the FDNY launched a brush fire task force to put it out (it’s been snuffed now!), but it was only one of 271 brush fires across the city during the first two weeks of November. Meanwhile, there are at least 11 major wildfires burning up and down the East Coast right now, from Boston to Virginia.
My coast is not usually on fire, and the causes (as I understand them) seem pretty straightforward: drought + heat = flames. It hasn’t rained more than a half-inch in NYC since September 29, and it’s been hotter than usual for November. As of a few weeks ago, a majority of U.S. states (especially in the northeast and upper Midwest) hadn’t seen any rain since September. It’s almost like the atmosphere dumped all its moisture on us during Helene and Milton, and now it’s on PTO.
Wherever there are (a) trees with dried-out leaves, and (b) a stray cigarette, there may be fire. On Medium, a New Jersey resident who lives close to the Jennings Creek Wildfire in Passaic County — still raging, though 90% contained — is thinking of moving, following in the footsteps of millions of indigenous people who’ve migrated to rainier climates over thousands of years. Historically, drought is a more powerful motivator to pack your things and go than flooding — and researchers predict even more drought-induced migration this century.
Related to that, I appreciated this map of climate risks by census region: It combines 184 datasets to show you the specific risks (flooding, drought, blackout, etc.) associated with each location. I found a spot outside Lincoln, Nebraska, that looks pretty safe… see y’all there?
💃 1 sentence, 1 story
- Turns out “hips don’t lie” started as something Shakira said in the studio when a song wasn’t working — if it were, her hips would’ve been moving. (Kim Witten, PhD)
- An ER triage nurse shares lesser-known symptoms that can predict serious conditions (never ignore flashing lights in your field of vision). (Andrea Romeo RN, BN)
- The Apple designer responsible for only requiring one icon size on iOS shares how your brain puts simple shapes together to visualize complex icons. (Edward Sanchez)
🕰️ Your daily dose of practical wisdom
Sometimes, being punctual can be impolite — especially, as Matthew Clapham explains, in communities that view time as more of a communal resource than an individual one to be hoarded. If you’re late because you were helping a neighbor out, that’s better than being precisely on time.
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Edited and produced by Scott Lamb & Carly Rose Gillis
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