Rare December blaze that tore through Boulder County, Colorado, at frightening speed this week may not be that unusual in the future, wildfire experts are warning, as climate change sets the stage for more.

In areas such as Boulder County where snow is not usually present, wildfires have never been seen. 

However, Colorado’s drought has been severe in recent months. Denver experienced severe drought from July 1, 2021 to December 29, 2021. recordThe lowest level of precipitation was by more than an inch. Snowfall levels were also at their lowest record. Boulder is a Boulder that has a reputation for being a thriving city. sees about 30 inches of snow between September and December, received just one inch in that period leading up to the day of the fire. 

Combine that with an unseasonably warm fall, and the ground had significantly less moisture in it than it normally would — creating perfect conditions for a fire to flourish.

Keith Musselman is a snow hydrologist at Colorado Boulder and an assistant professor of research. The extreme drought can also dry the landscape out a lot more. Therefore, everything becomes drier, and more flammable.

Officials state that winds gusts as high as 105 mph spread the flames quickly, destroying 500 to 1,000 houses and allowing residents to flee in a matter of minutes.

Although gusts of this magnitude may seem unusual for this time of the year, they can’t be directly linked to climate change according to Daniel Swain of the University of California Los Angeles. Swain is also a climate scientist with the non-profit Nature Conservancy. 

He said that climate change had been the main reason for the fire’s success, while other regions may see similar increases in wildfire season lengths.

He stated that climate change was clearly making wildfire-prone areas of the globe more vulnerable to fire.

The fire in Colorado was not only notable because of the season it happened, but also for another reason. Professor Philip Higuera of fire ecology at University of Montana, Higuera said that the fire’s uniqueness is due to two things: the fact that the fire occurred during the summer and the timing of the event. This fire burned more structures than any other.

He stated that this was one of the most dangerous scenarios due to the fact that the fire spread through densely populated communities. These are high-wind events in extremely dry environments. You’re basically trying to keep your fingers crossed that there’s not an ignition human-caused.