Likelihood of extreme autumn fire weather has increased 40%, Oregon State modeling shows

“Over the last handful of years, California and western Oregon have experienced their largest and most destructive wildfires ever recorded,” said Hawkins, a postdoctoral researcher in the OSU College of Forestry. “The rapid and extensive growth of many of the fires was driven by strong, dry, offshore, downslope autumn winds blowing across fuels that had become very parched over the summer and stayed that way into fall.”