America's wildfire season is already off to a blazing start, with spring fires breaking records across multiple parts of the country — and experts say the months ahead could get even worse.
Drought, powerful winds, low snowpack, and a warming climate are all helping fuel the early surge in fires, raising concerns that communities could be facing a long and destructive season.
According to CNN, the United States has already seen close to 30,000 wildfires since the year began, more than at this point in nearly two decades. Over 2 million acres have burned so far, roughly twice the 10-year average and the highest total in 14 years.
CNN reported that the Southeast has logged the most fires so far, especially in Georgia, Florida, and North Carolina. In Georgia alone, over 3,000 fires have scorched 83,000 acres this year. In April, the Highway 82 Fire — believed to have started when a party balloon hit a power line — destroyed more than 120 homes.
However, the biggest fires have been in the Great Plains. In Nebraska, the Morrill Fire swept across 642,000 acres in March, setting a state record and becoming the nation's largest wildfire so far this year. Out West, California is also seeing earlier-than-usual fire activity, including a Santa Rosa Island blaze that burned more than 17,000 acres, along with evacuation alerts near Los Angeles.
Wildfires can quickly become public health and economic disasters, threatening lives, homes, jobs, and local businesses. Even people far from the flames can be affected, since smoke can travel long distances and worsen air quality across entire regions. For families who lose homes, ranchland, or infrastructure, the recovery can be long and financially devastating.
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Researchers and fire experts told CNN that this year's wildfire risk is being intensified by several forces at once: prolonged drought, dry vegetation, strong winds, low humidity, and below-normal snowpack in parts of the West. A developing El Niño pattern could also bring dry thunderstorms and lightning, creating new opportunities for fires to ignite.
Some of these fires are burning closer to populated areas than usual, bringing more evacuation alerts, property damage, and smoke exposure for people who may not think of themselves as living in wildfire country.
Fire agencies are now watching conditions closely and expecting elevated wildfire activity in several regions through the summer. In the Southeast, officials hope seasonal thunderstorms will eventually bring some relief. In the West, forecasters are keeping a close eye on heat and lightning risks that could quickly make fire conditions even worse.
One major challenge, experts said, is prevention. In parts of the Southeast, firefighters have been so busy responding to active blazes that they have not been able to carry out enough prescribed burns, which are used to reduce built-up vegetation before it can fuel much larger wildfires.
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As Morgan Varner told CNN, "The problem is not just what happens during late May of this year or what happens in late summer. It's the rollover, that sort of carryover effect that would affect next year." Craig Clements added, "Everybody's anticipating it, but it just depends on how weather plan pans out."
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