A recent study, published in Scientific American, has projected that extreme rain events will become more common after wildfire events in the future, leading to increased landslides and flash floods. And while the study projects out to the end of the century, the effects can already be seen. Says climate scientist Samantha Stevenson, one of the authors, “we’re starting to see these types of things happen with our own eyes.”
While it’s already been expected that wildfires will continue to increase in the western United States, in terms of both frequency and severity, and that rain events will also grow stronger, it’s the combination of the two that has the potential to greatly increase the resulting devastation. And the increase in these events is not expected to hit all regions equally. The study indicated that while the number of fires in California followed by extreme rain is expected to double, in the Pacific Northwest, the number of fires followed by extreme rain within a year is expected to increase sevenfold.
The authors hope that the paper will influence emergency preparedness, with Stevenson noting that these events aren’t going to be stopped, so “we need to be prepared.”
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