Wildfires in North America are becoming a serious issue, burning longer into the night and starting earlier in the morning. A new study highlights that human-driven climate change is fueling these changes, making conditions hotter and drier for longer periods.
Historically, wildfires would often die down overnight as temperatures cooled and humidity rose. However, that’s changing. The study found that the favorable conditions for wildfires have increased by 36% compared to 50 years ago. For example, California now has about 550 more hours each year suitable for wildfires than in the mid-1970s. In some areas of New Mexico and Arizona, the increase is as high as 2,000 hours annually.
These longer burning times can make fires harder to control. Notable fires, like those in Lahaina, Hawaii, and Los Angeles in recent years, ignited during the early morning hours, making them more difficult for firefighters to contain. As Xianli Wang, a fire scientist, pointed out, fires that continue to burn at night have a better chance of spreading the next day.
The warming atmosphere contributes to this issue. Nighttime temperatures in the U.S. have risen by about 2.6°F since 1975, according to NOAA. This increase means that nights no longer provide reliable breaks for wildfires, with conditions often remaining dangerously dry.
As heat patterns change, humidity struggles to bounce back overnight, creating ideal conditions for flames to thrive. Research shows that wildfires often worsen during severe droughts, where hot air sucks moisture from the ground, making trees and plants more flammable. Wang emphasizes that these warmer nights prevent forests from recovering, which could lead to an increase in fuel load for future fires.
Data reveals that from 2016 to 2025, wildfires in the U.S. burned an area equivalent to Massachusetts each year, significantly more than during the 1980s. In Canada, the average land burned in the last decade is nearly three times what it was 40 years ago.
Experts like Jacob Bendix from Syracuse University view these findings as a stark reminder of climate change’s influence on fire risks across North America. It’s clear that both our environment and firefighting strategies must adapt to this new reality, or the wildfires we face could become even more challenging to handle.
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wildfires,climate change,NORTH AMERICA
