This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
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Wildfires are rampant this year. They broke out earlier than ever in California. In June, nineteen firefighters lost their lives in a hellish Arizona blaze. Last year, New Mexico had the largest wildfire in state history, and Colorado had its second largest wildfire ever.
Is any of this a surprise? Unfortunately, no. As Scientific American showed in 2011, if average temperatures rise even slightly, more and larger fires are likely across the U.S. West. The data we mapped out is below. For a higher resolution graphic, and the text that accompanied it, see the original page.