Areas in the Midwest are bracing for the worst as the National Weather Service has warned of a ‘critical risk’ of wildfires across South Dakota, Nebraska and northern Kansas.
A combination of strong winds, low humidity and high temperatures prompted the warning, with a surface cyclone expected to develop across Montana in the coming days.
“This is due to the tight pressure gradient between this surface low and the strong area of high pressure centered over the Tennessee Valley,” the NWS said in their forecast. “The strongest winds are expected from west-central Kansas to southern South Dakota, where sustained winds of 25 to 30 mph are possible.”
These strong winds can carry wildfire over hundreds of miles, making the upcoming few days of particular concern for officials.
“Fires can start quickly on these days; even just a little spark on the ground can start spreading quickly,” NWS meteorologist Michaela Wood told Newsweek. “Our humidity is very low, so the air is very dry. That’s going to be met with some strong, dusty winds, and when you have all of that coming together, small fires can get out of control quickly.”
Wildfires are becoming more ferocious and frequent across the US, as the warmer, drier conditions associated with climate change significantly increase the risk of fire. Between 2001 and 2023 the amount of land burned by wildfire rose by around 5.4% every year.
Today, wildfires result in roughly six million more hectares of tree loss per year than they did in 2001 – that's an area roughly the size of Croatia. As average global temperatures have increased, the number of extreme heat waves has risen fivefold in the last 150 years.
In conditions like these, the risk of wildfires is only worsened by the actions of irresponsible campers and litterers. Only last month, California lawmakers passed a bill to ban disposable propane cylinders after wildfires forced over 10,000 Californians to evacuate their homes in the San Bernardino area.
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