"Fire weather" is happening more often in Kansas and Missouri
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Hot, dry and windy weather that helps wildfires spread is becoming more common across much of the U.S., including Kansas and Missouri, a new analysis finds.
Why it matters: What used to be several months of fire season is stretching in some places into a yearlong phenomenon, straining fire departments and others tasked with controlling or containing wild blazes.
Zoom in: "Fire weather" is getting more frequent in Kansas and Missouri, per an analysis from Climate Central, a climate research group.
- Central Kansas, which includes Hays and Salina, experienced the biggest increase in the area, adding an average of 18 more fire weather days between 1973 and 2024 for a total of 26 per year.
- Counties around Wichita see about 18 fire weather days a year, while western Kansas experiences 45 or more.
- Areas around the Kansas City metro have also increased, from two to five on the Missouri side and from five to 10 on the Kansas side.
Zoom out: Some areas, including parts of Texas, California and New Mexico, now experience "around two more months of fire weather per year compared to a half-century ago," the group says.
Yes, but: Fire weather days decreased in a handful of areas, such as central North Dakota (-12) and northern Maine (-8).
Stunning stat: Human-made problems like unattended campfires and sparks from power lines start 87% of wildfires, Climate Central says, citing the National Interagency Fire Center.
- Regardless of how a fire starts, "fire weather" can help it spread and grow.
State of play: In April, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bipartisan bill that would award damages to those affected by fires started by electric companies.
- The bill also directs the Kansas Corporation Commission to workshop wildfire risk and mitigation.
How it works: Climate Central's fire weather analysis is based on data from 476 nationwide weather stations and is broken down by 245 climate divisions across the continental U.S.
- The group defined a "fire weather day" as one with temperatures of at least 45°-55°F (depending on the season), relative humidity within 5% of regional thresholds, and sustained wind speeds of 15mph or more — all happening together during at least two hourly measurements on a given day.