Source link : https://las-vegas-news.com/climate-change-fuels-round-the-clock-wildfires-across-north-america/
From Nighttime Pauses to Persistent Flames (Image Credits: Unsplash)
Washington — North American wildfires now burn later into the night and ignite earlier each morning, as human-driven climate change prolongs the hot, dry conditions that sustain flames. A recent study revealed that potential burning hours have surged 36% over the past 50 years, transforming what were once reliable nighttime lulls into extended periods of fire risk. This shift, detailed in Science Advances, underscores how warmer nights are rewriting the rules of wildfire behavior across the United States and Canada.
From Nighttime Pauses to Persistent Flames
Historically, wildfires diminished or extinguished at night when cooler temperatures and rising humidity quenched their intensity. Researchers found this pattern has eroded significantly. In regions like California, potential fire-favorable hours have increased by 550 annually since the mid-1970s. Southwestern New Mexico and central Arizona show even steeper rises, up to 2,000 additional hours per year.
The study examined weather conditions ripe for fire spread, though actual blazes did not ignite during every such window. Authors analyzed atmospheric factors including temperature, humidity, wind, and fuel moisture. They applied a model built from nearly 9,000 large fires between 2017 and 2023 to historical data stretching back to 1975 and projected forward to 2106. Fire-prone days have also grown by 44%, adding roughly 26 days to the annual…
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Author : Matthias Binder
Publish date : 2026-04-30 08:16:00
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