WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD News) — Firefighters continue battling a large wildfire in eastern Colorado that has burned nearly 100,000 acres, while forecasters warn the western wildfire season is far from over.
USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says the Aspen Acres Fire is the most destructive wildfire currently burning in Colorado.
“The most destructive wildfire at this moment has been the Aspen Acres Fire burning southwest of Pueblo, Colorado. Its acreage is approaching 100,000, and we have seen hundreds of buildings, including residences, destroyed across this region of Colorado. There have also been some very destructive wildfires in Utah, and other complications have included lower air quality, a lot of smoke in the air. So certainly we are nowhere near the end of this wildfire season, especially until the monsoon becomes better established and we get more wetting rains.”
The wildfire season runs through November, and Rippey said he expects it to remain very active.
Meteorologist Jonathan Porter says drought remains a major concern as firefighters continue responding to wildfires across the West.
“The significant concern for us is the amount of existing drought that we’re going into the El Niño period with, and so that raises the concerns that that drought can get worse in some spots, and then after the El Niño peaks, likely during 2027 that drought can persist in some areas for two or three years, because it sometimes takes that long, especially in a strong El Niño setup, which we believe this one will be, for the weather patterns to sort of revert back to their long-term historic averages.”
Porter said he does not expect a repeat of the widespread devastation seen during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.
“Many things have changed since the 1930s. Our farming practices and other factors, so we’re not talking about the fact that we expect that conditions could become that severe in a widespread area, but we are talking about the risk for there to be drought amplified, and for that to have a negative impact on food production in some places, and also the risk for water supplies to be harmed as well.”
Porter believes it will take a few years before knowing whether Dust Bowl-like conditions will develop.
