( CNN ) -- This is n't supposed to be happening . Not now , anyway . Nine confirmed wildfires have already burned nearly 9,200 acres in San Diego County . Southern California is no stranger to wildfires , but this many fires this early is a shocker . `` This is May , '' Carlsbad police Capt . Paul Mendes said . `` This is unbelievable . '' Wildfires are n't typically a problem in California until the summer or maybe even the fall , when things get even hotter and drier . So what gives ? The short answer is : A crippling drought and record high temperatures . In other words , it 's bone dry and brutally hot . Add to that gusty winds -- and you have a potent mix . `` It 's really awful , unprecedented , '' CNN meteorologist Jennifer Gray said . `` We have never seen California this dry before . So this wildfire season could be one of the worst in history . '' Historic drought . California is in the midst of a long drought that has left it abnormally dry . How bad is it ? This is how Gov . Jerry Brown put it in January : `` the worst drought that California has ever seen since records ( began ) about 100 years ago . '' The exact financial impact of the historic drought in California has yet to be calculated . But the financial blow could be in the billions of dollars . Record heat . It 's hot , hot , hot in San Diego County this month . San Diego and El Cajon experienced record highs of 93 and 99 on Wednesday , according to the National Weather Service . Thursday 's forecast includes a heat advisory for the region , including temperatures up to 105 . `` This is extreme . This has gone from dry conditions to volatile conditions , '' said one firefighter in Carlsbad , after using a torch to ignite backfire . `` This is n't something we do n't normally see until November or September . '' Gusty winds . The third factor compounding the situation : strong winds that are fanning the flames . `` The wind does n't make it any easier , '' Carlsbad resident Marisa Gustafson told CNN affiliate KFMB . `` The wind can change and all of a sudden , it just seems like we 're going to be safe and we 're not . '' Thousands of homes have been evacuated in Southern California . So have a nuclear power plant , a university campus and parts of a military base . Even Legoland , a popular amusement park , has been forced to close . Officials have issued some 23,000 evacuation notices in Carlsbad alone . And with nine fires burnings , firefighters are pooling their resources to try and gain control . `` This is only going to get worse , '' meteorologist Gray said . The skeptics ' take . While investigators know what 's keeping the fires burning , they have n't determined yet what caused them to flare up in the first place . So many fires , so quick , all of them separate -- that has some skeptical that only nature could be to blame . Among those confounded are San Diego County district supervisor Bill Horn who says he has n't seen anything like this in at least 20 years . `` I 'm sure it could be by chance , '' he said . `` I just think there 's too much of a coincidence here . '' What to know about wildfires . CNN 's Andrew Spencer contributed to this report .
This many fires this early is a shocker . `` It 's really awful , unprecedented , '' CNN meteorologist Jennifer Gray says . The fire has burned more than 100,000 acres and destroyed at least 100 homes.