Never-Ending Wildfire Season Persists In U.S; Consistent With Climate Change

Homes burn in Reno, Nevada Tuesday during a wildfire that
swept through part of the city. Photo by Jason Bean from
the Reno Gazette-Journal via the AP. 

 In the past, wildfires in the United States uses to subside substantially by mid-November due to the onset of more storminess, more rains, and across the north, more snow. 

Southern California would still get fires this time of year, as the rainy season is last to hit that neck of the woods, but most of the rest of the nation would be in the clear. 

Not this year. Not in recent years, either. 

This year, there's been plenty of evidence in recent days that the wildfire season is roaring on well past it's usual sell by date. 

A wind-whipped fire swept through parts of Reno, Nevada Tuesday, destroying five houses and damaging others, according to the Associated Press.  About 1,000 people, including the mayor of Reno, had to be evacuated because of the fire.  

Winds gusted as high as 78 mph in Reno Tuesday. 

Another fire in California,  well south and west of Reno, killed one person and destroyed several homes, according to the AP.

The high winds that fanned the fires came just ahead of the first real, welcome Pacific storm that dumped rain on northern California and, thankfully, in Reno. Some snow fell in the mountains. 

The rain squelched the fires for now, but long term dangers await the West, certainly including in California and Nevada. As the AP reports:

"Nevada is experiencing drought, with much of it extreme drought and it's moved in and out of such dry conditions for years. Numerous studies have linked bigger wildfires in America to climate change from the burning of coal, oil and gas, which has made parts of the U.S. West much drier and more flammable."

Other fires are happening in rather unusual spots. There have been numerous wildfires in the Plains this fall. The latest occurred Tuesday northwest of Topeka, Kansas, where a blaze forced the evacuation of the small town of Delia, population about 175.

Today, the fire danger shifts to mid-Mississippi and lower Ohio River valleys, where low humidity, strong winds and dry conditions can easily stir up brush and wild fires. Again, this isn't the "traditional" place for such fires, but there you go. 

For us here in Vermont, there is, of course, no immediate danger of any wild fires.  It has been dry here, but there's been just enough rain and snow to keep things damp.  Our frequent bouts of strong, gusty winds, which is expected to continue over the coming days, won't matter much because of the relative dampness we have, typical of November. 

This isn't to say Vermont is permanently immune from brush or wild fires. We can still get them. Perhaps not on the scale of California, but still. 

Nationally, late season fires like these have become more common in the past decade or so. A November, 2011 fire destroyed 27 houses in pretty much the same area of Reno that was hit Tuesday. 

The trend is also toward fires in relatively  unexpected areas and seasons.  For instance, a huge wildfire, driven by winds of up to 80 mph, blasted through Gatlinburg, Tennessee and surrounding areas, killing 14 people, injuring 175 and destroying nearly 2,500 buildings on November 26, 2016.