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As Earth Warms, California Fire Season Is Starting Earlier, Study Finds
CALIFORNIA, AUG 7 – Human-caused climate change has advanced California's wildfire season by up to 46 days, with most ecosystems experiencing earlier starts and longer fire periods, researchers found.
- A 2025 study reveals that, due to human-induced climate change, California's wildfire season has begun up to 46 days sooner in most areas between 1992 and 2020, resulting in a lengthened fire season.
- Human-Caused climate change caused this earlier onset by increasing temperatures and vapor pressure deficit, which influence fuel aridity, the strongest factor in timing shifts.
- The most significant changes have taken place in the northern mountain areas, where the wildfire season now begins over two months earlier compared to the 1990s, highlighting the intensified effects of climate warming in these regions.
- Climate scientist Virginia Iglesias called the shift "much larger than anticipated and truly surprising," emphasizing the dominant roles of climate and fuel aridity in driving the change.
- The lengthening and earlier onset of the fire season increase wildfire hazards and emphasize the importance of developing fire management and climate adaptation approaches that are customized to specific regional conditions.
17 Articles
17 Articles
Wildfire season is starting weeks earlier in California—new study shows how climate change is driving the expansion
Fire season is expanding in California, with an earlier start to wildfire activity in most of the state. In parts of the northern mountains, the season is now starting more than 10 weeks earlier than it did in the 1990s, a new study shows.
Idaho Press
Wildfire season is starting earlier in California – a new study shows how climate change is driving the expansion
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)
The Conversation
Wildfire season is starting weeks earlier in California – a new study shows how climate change is driving the expansion
Firefighters battle in Pacific Palisades, Calif., on Jan. 7, 2025 David Swanson/AFP via Getty ImagesFire season is expanding in California, with an earlier start to wildfire activity in most of the state. In parts of the northern mountains, the season is now starting more than 10 weeks earlier than it did in the 1990s, a new study shows. Atmospheric scientists Gavin Madakumbura and Alex Hall, two authors of the study, explain how climate warming…
The fire season is growing in California, with an earlier start for forest activity in most of the state. In some parts of the northern mountains, the season now begins more than 10 weeks earlier than it did in the 1990s, according to a new study. [...]
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