Did you know that in California years with very low rainfall like 2020 saw some of the largest areas burned by wildfires while wetter years like 2023 had far fewer acres burned?
The data show California’s total annual precipitation and wildfire acres burned from 2019 to 2024. This graph suggests an inverse relationship between precipitation and wildfire destruction. Generally: less rainfall saw more acres burned and more rainfall saw fewer acres burned.
Data source: Created using wildfire data from National Interagency Fire Center and CAL FIRE
*These figures have not yet been formally peer reviewed and are intended as exploratory