Extreme wildfire weather is becoming synchronized worldwide
Mar 19th 2026
A Science Advances study finds that the hot, dry, and windy conditions that fuel major wildfires are aligning across far-apart regions more than twice as often as in the late 1970s, with climate change responsible for about half of the rise.
- Days with extreme fire weather occurring in multiple regions at once have more than doubled since 1979.
- The team analyzed 1979 to 2024 global fire weather index data and satellite-based burned-area records to count simultaneous extreme-fire-weather days.
- About half of the observed increase in synchronized fire weather is attributable to human-caused climate change.
- Boreal regions show the strongest rise in synchronized severe fire weather across wide areas.
- More simultaneous fires reduce the ability of countries to send mutual aid and share firefighting resources.
- Widespread concurrent fires increase smoke exposure and are linked to substantial public health harms and premature deaths.