As dry conditions continue to sweep across the Plains, West and South, millions are put at risk for wildfires. In combination with rising temperatures and strong winds, roughly ten million people from South Dakota to Texas and Arizona are vulnerable to wildfires at any given time.
The biggest cities in the south, such as San Antonio, California, Tucson, Arizona and Santa Fe, New Mexico, are cities with the highest risk factor. With winds reaching a high of 30-40 MPH, these temperatures create a dangerously easy environment for a fire to start, along with low humidity levels and dry vegetation. In recent weeks, temperatures across the West and Southwest have surpassed normal levels by 10-25 degrees. Temperature highs reaching between 80-100 have the potential to break records in Dallas, Amarillo, and Lubbock, Texas and Tucson, Arizona.
Another big weather risk for those in the southeastern part of the US are high-risk for dangerous winds, quarter-sized hail, and a chance for a couple of tornadoes. Heavy snow and rain are impacting areas such as Montana, the Dakota’s and stretching to Wisconsin.
As temperatures continue to rise, the Southwestern, Western and Southern states continue to stay at risk for all-consuming wildfires, which could lead to the heavy destruction of surrounding forests. The domino effect has a great chance of unraveling with something as small as this rise in temperatures.
