We start the week with a new animation from NASA that shows the increasing risk of wildfire activity across the United States in the coming decades.
An article on the NASAÂ website notes that with satellite and climate data, scientists have been able to track an increase in dry conditions since the 1980s.
Climate projections suggest this trend will continue, increasing the risk of fire in the Great Plains and Upper Midwest by the end of the 21st Century, according to NASA.
NASA explains:
Fire seasons are starting earlier due to warmer spring temperatures and earlier snowmelt, and they are lasting longer into the fall, NASA notes.
It cites NIFC statistics indicating that 100,000-acre wildfires are becoming increasingly frequent.
Here’s the animation:
Hat tip to CNET for its blog post on this story.
Check out I.I.I. facts and statistics on wildfires, and a backgrounder on climate change insurance issues.