Destructive Wildfire near Canada’s Oil Sands May Have Been Fueled by Global Warming. #Auspol

The devastating natural disaster in Fort McMurray is “consistent” with climate change.

As the planet continues to warm, wildfires will likely only become more common and intense as spring snowpack disappears and temperatures warm. Credit: USFWS/Southeast/Flickr

An unusually intense May wildfire roared into Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, on Tuesday, forcing the largest wildfire evacuation in province history. The flames rode the back of hot, windy weather that will continue through Wednesday and could pick up again this weekend.

The wildfire is the latest in a lengthening lineage of early wildfires in the northern reaches of the globe that are indicative of a changing climate. As the planet continues to warm, these types of fires will likely only become more common and intense as spring snowpack disappears and temperatures warm.

“This (fire) is consistent with what we expect from human-caused climate change affecting our fire regime,” Mike Flannigan, a wildfire researcher at the University of Alberta, said.

Press link for more: Scientific American