Climate change is increasing the risk of wildfires in Texas, a danger made real this week as the Smokehouse Creek fire, the largest in state history, burns out of control across the Panhandle region.
And that growing fire risk is beginning to affect the insurance market in Texas, raising premiums for homeowners and causing some insurers to withdraw from parts of the state.
For the Smokehouse Creek fire to grow so big so quickly, three weather conditions had to align: high temperatures, low relative humidity and strong winds, said John Nielsen-Gammon, the Texas state climatologist and a professor of atmospheric science at Texas A&M University.
On Monday, as the Smokehouse Creek fire began to spread, it was 82 degrees Fahrenheit in Amarillo.
The city’s average daytime high temperature in February is 54 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
Persons:
John Nielsen, Gammon
Organizations:
Texas, M University, National Weather Service
Locations:
Texas, Panhandle, Amarillo .