August 2015 sets new record for area burned by wildfire

https://www.climate.gov/news-features/featured-images/august-2015-sets-new-record-area-burned-wildfire

Sept. 22, 2015

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According to the National Interagency Fire Center, wildfires charred 4.04 million acres throughout the month, the most since reliable record-keeping began in 2000. The satellite image at right shows smoke from fires burning in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana on August 19, 2015. One of the month’s most significant fires was the source of the smoke drifting eastward from north-central Washington. Burning more than 300,000 acres and destroying 176 homes, the Okanogan Complex Fire evolved into the largest fire on record for the state.

The graph shows the total number of acres burned in 2015 (red) relative to the 2000–2010 average (yellow). The total number of acres burned in August 2015 exceeded the overall average by more 2 million acres. While the overall number of fires (6,522 fires) was well below-average, ranking as the second-least amount of total fires since 2000, they were devastatingly destructive. Experts estimated each fire burned a record-breaking 619 acres.

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As forecasted, warmer-than-average temperatures in the Pacific Northwest coincided with drought conditions ranging from severe to extreme. “Higher temperatures mean more evaporation, and thus more flammable fuels,” Westerling said. “Combined with drought in and near California, and fuel accumulations from long-term fire suppression in some areas, the risk of a big fire season is high.”

The NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) reported that the eastern sides of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana were quite dry in August, with many locations receiving less than 25 percent of normal precipitation. Washington had its ninth driest summer on record, creating the ideal wildfire conditions that sparked the Okanogan Complex Fire.

Overall, it has been an active summer for wildfires. Since June, wildfires have burned nearly eight million acres in the U.S., the most since 2000. For many locations in the High Plains and Midwest, it’s also been a hazy summer. Smoke from the fires out West drifted eastward, causing a wide range of impacts, including some benign and some harmful. For instance, smoke suppressed daytime temperatures this month (smoke particles reflect incoming sunlight), and also created beautiful sunsets. On the other hand, smoke also resulted in air quality issues, which caused respiratory problems for sensitive groups.

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