Georgia’s Highway 82 Fire and Pineland Road Fire have destroyed more than 120 homes amid dry conditions, high winds and debris left by 2024’s Hurricane Helene, as the U.S. wildfire season opens early and hard. [1]
Much of the U.S. is at least abnormally dry, while severe to exceptionally dry conditions cover large parts of the West, South and Southeast. [1] The National Interagency Fire Center said about 1.8 million acres had burned nationwide as of April 24, nearly double the year-to-date 10-year average and the highest year-to-date total since 2017. [1]
The fires in Georgia have added to a season that is already running ahead of recent norms. John Bailey said, “Over the last few years, different states have set new records for acres burned and acres of high severity fire and homes burned,” and cited “an inordinate amount of fuel in the landscape,” new homes in fire-prone areas that become fire fuel themselves, and longer and more severe fire seasons. [1]
The fire center’s outlook warned of above-normal wildfire potential next month across much of Arizona and New Mexico, as well as all of Florida and the Southeast Atlantic coast. [1] In June, the high-risk areas also include most of inland Louisiana, part of East Texas, western Colorado, southern Utah, Northern California, and inland Washington and Oregon. [1]
A potential super El Niño could also affect the severity of the wildfire season. [1]
