Mother Nature gets out the fire extinguisher

California just wrapped up one of its slowest wildfire seasons in years, per the state's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. 362,403 acres had been burned through Monday, compared with 2.6 million over the same period in 2021.

It's not the only state to have seen a dramatic drop, either. Across Nevada, Utah, and parts of Idaho and Wyoming, 423,345 acres were burned this year, compared with a five-year annual average of 1.2 million. And in Arizona, 160,770 acres were scorched versus 524,428 last year.

🤔🔥 So, what’s going on?... While Adele sets fire to the rain, in this instance the exact opposite is happening – rain is setting out the fire. Most of the West is still experiencing drought conditions, but there was more precipitation this year than in recent years. According to the US Drought Monitor, 69% of the West is currently experiencing drought conditions, down from 91% a year ago.

Mother Nature’s waterworks also came at some fortuitous times.

• Like when it slowed down the 341,735 acre Hermit Creek-Calf Canyon Fire in New Mexico. The fire destroyed hundreds of homes, but firefighters initially feared it was going to do more damage.
• Or in California, when remnants of Hurricane Kay provided rare September rains to help corral both the Fairview and Mosquito fires, which were raging at the time.

Though another weather bailout isn’t likely next year. A slow fire year is usually followed by a big one, meteorologist Gina Palma told the WSJ.

🐟 In other environmental news: The biggest dam removal in US history was officially approved yesterday. The driving reason? To save salmon.