UW News
Andy Chiodi
August 5, 2021
Drier, warmer night air is making some Western wildfires more active at night
![firefighter silhouetted against flames at night](https://uw-s3-cdn.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/08/01224453/IdahoWildlandFirefighters_2008_BLMIdaho_Flickr-150x150.jpg)
Firefighters have reported that Western wildfires are starting earlier in the morning and dying down later at night, hampering their ability to recover and regroup before the next day’s flareup. A study by University of Washington and U.S. Forest Service scientists shows why: The drying power of nighttime air over much of the Western U.S. has increased dramatically in the past 40 years.