Smokey sunset from EarthSky community member Edwin Brion, July, 2015.
The 2015 wildfire season in the United States has already broken records. So far this year, more acres of land have burned as of mid-September than the total annual amount in 2011, which was the 4th worst year for wildfires. So will this year be the new fourth worst, third worst, second worst, or worst wildire year ever? Read on, and take a guess.
The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, publishes a ton of useful statistics on wildfires that are critical for helping state and federal agencies manage the flames. These records date back to the 1960s.
The chart below that was created with the fire center data shows that the worst years for wildfires in the U.S. were 2006 (9,873,745 acres burned), 2007 (9,328,045 acres burned), 2012 (9,326,238 acres burned), 2011 (8,711,367 acres burned), and 2005 (8,689,389 acres burned).
Annual amount of land burned by wildfires in the U.S. Image via D. E. Conners, EarthSky.
Trees engulfed in flames at the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Image via U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Already as of September 18, 2015, 8,821,040 acres of land have burned across the U.S., and this number exceeds the total number of acres burned for 2011. Hence, 2015 has already earned a spot as the 4th worst year on record, and the wildfire season is not over yet.
To explore how this year might stack up to the others, it’s useful to compare the September 18 year-to-date numbers for 2015 to the year-to-date numbers for the top three worst wildfire years on record:
• 2015 – 8,821,040 acres burned as of September 18 versus
• 2006 (worst year on record based on annual data) – 8,849,418 acres burned as of September 18
• 2007 (2nd worst year on record based on annual data) – 8,056,257 acres burned as of September 18
• 2012 (3rd worst year on record based on annual data) – 8,379,998 acres burned as of September 18
These numbers show that the trend for the 2015 wildfire season is very close to that of 2006, the worst year on record.
El-Nino-related rains later in the season could prevent 2015 from becoming the worst year on record, but only time will tell.
Visit the National Interagency Fire Center’s situation report for September 21, 2015
Today’s wildfire news: Body found as fresh Northern California wildfire destroys at least 10 homes
There have been some spectacular images of wildfires in the U.S. in 2015, not the least of which was the “firenado” video, above, which was widely shared by the media in August, 2015.
This video came originally from Craig Fluer on Instagram, who captured this firenado over Idaho. These terrifying apparitions are not new, but we rarely see them captured on video. They form when heat from the wildfire causes air to rise rapidly and begin to whirl.
Of course, the severe ongoing drought in the U.S. West is not helping the wildfire situation in 2015.
Bottom line: According to data from the National Interagency Fire Center, the 2015 wildfire season in the U.S. will be among the top four worst years on record based on the amount of land that has already burned.
Linked: Amazon wildfires, Atlantic hurricanes
More, bigger wildfires burning western U.S.
El Niño this year: What will it bring?
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1Yv5vVB
Smokey sunset from EarthSky community member Edwin Brion, July, 2015.
The 2015 wildfire season in the United States has already broken records. So far this year, more acres of land have burned as of mid-September than the total annual amount in 2011, which was the 4th worst year for wildfires. So will this year be the new fourth worst, third worst, second worst, or worst wildire year ever? Read on, and take a guess.
The National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, publishes a ton of useful statistics on wildfires that are critical for helping state and federal agencies manage the flames. These records date back to the 1960s.
The chart below that was created with the fire center data shows that the worst years for wildfires in the U.S. were 2006 (9,873,745 acres burned), 2007 (9,328,045 acres burned), 2012 (9,326,238 acres burned), 2011 (8,711,367 acres burned), and 2005 (8,689,389 acres burned).
Annual amount of land burned by wildfires in the U.S. Image via D. E. Conners, EarthSky.
Trees engulfed in flames at the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Image via U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Already as of September 18, 2015, 8,821,040 acres of land have burned across the U.S., and this number exceeds the total number of acres burned for 2011. Hence, 2015 has already earned a spot as the 4th worst year on record, and the wildfire season is not over yet.
To explore how this year might stack up to the others, it’s useful to compare the September 18 year-to-date numbers for 2015 to the year-to-date numbers for the top three worst wildfire years on record:
• 2015 – 8,821,040 acres burned as of September 18 versus
• 2006 (worst year on record based on annual data) – 8,849,418 acres burned as of September 18
• 2007 (2nd worst year on record based on annual data) – 8,056,257 acres burned as of September 18
• 2012 (3rd worst year on record based on annual data) – 8,379,998 acres burned as of September 18
These numbers show that the trend for the 2015 wildfire season is very close to that of 2006, the worst year on record.
El-Nino-related rains later in the season could prevent 2015 from becoming the worst year on record, but only time will tell.
Visit the National Interagency Fire Center’s situation report for September 21, 2015
Today’s wildfire news: Body found as fresh Northern California wildfire destroys at least 10 homes
There have been some spectacular images of wildfires in the U.S. in 2015, not the least of which was the “firenado” video, above, which was widely shared by the media in August, 2015.
This video came originally from Craig Fluer on Instagram, who captured this firenado over Idaho. These terrifying apparitions are not new, but we rarely see them captured on video. They form when heat from the wildfire causes air to rise rapidly and begin to whirl.
Of course, the severe ongoing drought in the U.S. West is not helping the wildfire situation in 2015.
Bottom line: According to data from the National Interagency Fire Center, the 2015 wildfire season in the U.S. will be among the top four worst years on record based on the amount of land that has already burned.
Linked: Amazon wildfires, Atlantic hurricanes
More, bigger wildfires burning western U.S.
El Niño this year: What will it bring?
from EarthSky http://ift.tt/1Yv5vVB
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