Summary/Abstract
Anthropogenic climate change has been shown to amplify wildfire risk through increasing temperatures and decreased snowpack. This study shows the important role of precipitation changes in increasing the intensity and frequency of wildfires in the western United States. Using climate modeling taking into account precipitation data from 1979 to 2015, the study shows that precipitation declines are the climate impact most significantly correlated with wildfire area burned in the western United States. Declines in summer precipitation across 31-45% of the forested areas in the western United States are strongly correlated with burned area variations. The resulting wildfires cause property damage, particulate air pollution, destruction of habitat, and threat to human life. Understanding the mechanisms that drive wildfires can help policymakers prevent and predict their spread.