Fire & Rain, Western Woes and Big Plans in NYC
Learn about NOAA's newly released reports, NYC's resiliency plan, and how to easily track the fires blazing out West.… Read More
Western Drought Intensifies, Leads to Deadly Wildfires
A western heat wave allowed drought to intensify and expand in Idaho, Oregon and Montana last week. 72.25 percent of the land area in the ten western states is now under drought conditions, according to the latest update to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The worst impacts of the drought are concentrated in the Southwest: New Mexico, Texas, Southern… Read More
Interactive Wildfires Map Tracks the Blazes in Colorado
Aided by strong winds, the wildfire south of Denver has now become the most destructive fire in Colorado's history. It's burning through thousands of acres of land, and firefighters are struggling to contain the blaze. You can monitor the wildfire with Climate Central’s interactive wildfires map. The flame icons represent wildfires currently … Read More
The U.S.: A Nation Divided By Drought
What was once a coast-to-coast drought now divides the U.S. into two distinct pieces, pitting the water haves, in the Midwest, versus the have-nots, in the West. One of those regions is in for a long, hot, dry, and potentially smoky summer. (Hint: It's not the Midwest.)… Read More
Tinderbox-Dry Western U.S. at High Risk of Major Wildfires
The anticipated escalation in U.S. wildfire activity comes after the slowest start to wildfires in at least 10 years, according to Jeremy Sullens, a forecaster at NIFC. As of May 3, the country had seen 13,150 wildfires, which have burned about 153,000 acres. Due to a combination of drought and record heat, 2012 saw one of the most destructive wild… Read More
Wildfire Interactive Helps Track the Springs Fire Blaze
With the weather lending a helping hand, officials were cautiously optimistic that the raging fire, called the Springs Fire, near Los Angeles was being brought under control as of late Saturday. Firefighters reportedly had contained more than 50 percent of the fire, as they were aided by calmer winds and cooler temperatures, and Sunday's forecast h… Read More
Drought and Heat May Fuel Early Fire Season in West
Fire season may come early this year in the West, as it has more frequently in recent years, thanks to ongoing drought conditions and increasing temperatures. According to a new outlook issued by the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, ID, major wildfires in California could begin as early as this month, nearly a month ahead of… Read More
Boost to Colorado Snowpack May Lessen Wildfire Risk
As recently as late March it appeared that most of the West, including Colorado, was headed for a long, and tinderbox-dry spring and summer, with the effects of a long-running drought becoming ever more apparent in the form of dwindling water supplies and destructive wildfires. Many officials feared a repeat of last year’s disastrous wildfire seaso… Read More
