Extreme Weather Toolkit: Wildfire

More frequent hot, dry, windy conditions contribute to more wildfires that put people and ecosystems at risk. 

Wildfires are an important and necessary component of many ecosystems. But human-caused climate change, poor land management practices, and sprawling development have increased both the availability of fuel and the frequency of weather conditions that spark and spread dangerous fires, particularly in the western United States.

Wildfires can injure people, disrupt livelihoods, displace communities, lead to power outages and water supply problems, and take lives. Wildfire smoke, which has increased in nearly 75% of U.S. states since 2016, is a serious concern for human health, crops and livestock, and can contribute to premature death.

In the U.S., climate change has roughly doubled the forest area burned between 1984 and 2015.

Both lightning-caused and human-caused fires have long occurred. But people started 87% of U.S. wildfires from 2001 to 2024. Those human-caused fires account for almost half of all acres burned over that period.

Regardless of how fires start, more frequent hot, dry, windy conditions affect fuel availability and fire behavior (ignition, duration, and spreading), and can compromise suppression efforts. 

According to Climate Central analysis spanning the contiguous U.S. over a 52-year period (1973-2024), wildfire seasons are lengthening and intensifying, especially in the western U.S. 

• Southern California, Texas, and New Mexico, and Arizona have experienced some of the greatest increases in annual fire weather days. Some areas now see around two more months of fire weather compared to 1973.

• The eastern U.S. has experienced smaller increases in fire weather — primarily in parts of the Southeast and Northeast.

• Even small increases in fire weather in the densely-populated East, with nearly 28 million homes in burn-prone areas, put more people at risk.

Human-caused climate change accounts for at least two-thirds of the rapid increase in fire weather in the western U.S. in recent decades. And the latest IPCC reports project more frequent fire weather conditions with increased warming.

Updated: May 2025

Resources

These resources explore the science, trends, and local impacts of wildfire in the U.S.

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Climate Matters

More Frequent Fire Weather

More frequent hot, dry, and windy fire weather conditions are boosting wildfire risks across the U.S.

Climate Matters

Wildfire Risk to Homes, Roads, and Power Lines

Across the U.S., communities face risks from wildfires to homes, roads, and more. Those risks are likely to increase as the climate warms.

Climate Matters

Wildfire Smoke: Nationwide Health Risk

Wildfire smoke can travel far and harm health. We can expect to breathe in more of it in a warming climate.

Climate Matters

Longer, More Intense Fire Weather Seasons

Increasingly hot, dry, and windy weather conditions are boosting the likelihood of more extreme fires across the country.

Report

Wildfire Weather

Climate Matters

Western Fire Weather Days Increasing

Climate Central’s new report examines the increase in fire weather days—when weather conditions allow small fires to explode into infernos.

Webinar

Rapid Response Workshop: Smoke, Health & Fire

With wildfires still raging across California and other Western states, smoke has been darkening the skies and wafting across the country, a public health threat scientists have been linking to a long list of health concerns.

Climate Matters

Worsening Western Wildfires

Climate change is increasing the risk of larger, more intense wildfires, as warmer and drier conditions allow fire to spread faster and farther, creating dangerous conditions for residents and emergency services.

Climate Matters

Wildfire Smoke Waves

Wildfire pollution is threatening the advancements the U.S. has made in cleaning its air, and with climate change, that risk continues to grow.

Report

Report: Fire Weather

Heat, dryness, and wind are driving wildfires in the Western U.S.