Scientists predict above-average U.S. wildfire activity for 2020 after sharp drop in 2019

Sydney wildfires.
(Image credit: David Gray/Getty Images)

Last year brought the U.S. its lowest amount of wildfire destruction since 2004, but it's likely an anomaly in a period of increasing wildfire threats, according to a new analysis.

Despite climate change contributing to a longer fire season and drier vegetation, 2019 saw just 2.2 million acres burned in the U.S., compared to an average of 8.9 million from 2017 and 2018, E&E News reports.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Explore More
Taylor Watson

Taylor Watson is audience engagement editor for TheWeek.com and a former editorial assistant. She graduated from Syracuse University, with a major in magazine journalism and minors in food studies and nutrition. Taylor has previously written for Runner's World, Vice, and more.