Study confirms climate change will intensify wildfires and extend fire seasons

A new study confirms that climate change will increase the risk of wildfires and lengthen fire seasons. Researchers assessed future fire risk by analyzing fire danger indices and observed wildfire size. They found that higher wildfire risk correlated with larger wildfires, and under projected future climate conditions, extreme wildfire risk is expected to increase by an average of 10 days across the continental U.S. by the end of the century. Certain regions, like the southern Great Plains, are projected to have over 40 additional days per year of extreme wildfire danger. The study highlights the need for fire managers to understand potential wildfire size and the shifting and extending fire seasonality under a changing climate.