The Fires

Data reveals that wildfires in Colorado have become more frequent, larger, and more variable over the previous 30 years.

The average number of fires per year has increased sharply, rising from 13 in the 1990s, to nearly 50 in the 2000s, and surpassing 70 annual fires by the 2020s.

The increase in population is a factor, but it seems obvious to me that the real driver is Climate Change.

It's drier and hotter than ever.

The snowpack was as low as 30% of normal, and while the flow is still pretty good now, we got to the end of the snowmelt pretty early,  and the flow at the headwaters of the Colorado River may not be able to support the downstream demand in Arizona, Nevada, and California.

Lake Powell is at 23% full, and Lake Mead is at 28% full.

And the kicker: the soil is drying out now too.