Wildfires burn longer as climate change dries nights, study says
A new study found that North American wildfires are burning longer due to human-caused climate change, with 36% more hours of fire-prone weather than 50 years ago. The changing climate is causing hotter and drier conditions to persist into the night, making fires harder to fight.
North American wildfires are burning longer due to climate change. A study found 36% more hours of fire-prone weather than 50 years ago, with places like California seeing 550 more potential burning hours. The changing climate is causing hotter and drier conditions to persist into the night, making fires harder to fight. Fires that surge at night are tougher to control, as seen in the Lahaina, Hawaii fire in 2023 and the Jasper fire in Alberta in 2024. The number of days with fire-prone weather has increased by 44%, effectively adding 26 days over the past half century. Warmer nighttime weather and extra wind are driving this trend, making it likely to worsen as the atmosphere continues to warm.
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