What wildfire season looks like in Illinois and the risks they bring
A fire caused by high winds and dry conditions closes I-74 between the Ogden and Fithian exits at the border of Champaign and Vermilion Counties on October 29, 2024. Courtesy of Andrew Pritchard
While Illinois is one of the least active states for wildfires annually we do still have two wildfire seasons each year.
Wildfires are often associated with the mountain west or California. But just weeks ago wildfires broke out in Georgia. That fire happened on the same day as two significant wildfires here in Illinois: the great Chicago fire and the great Urbana fire.
But not all fire is destructive, it can also play an important role in maintaining our ecosystems.
The Champaign Forest Preserve District intentionally burns certain landscapes annually to manage prairie and woodland health. This is a practice indigenous people have done for thousands of years.
Doctoral student in Physics at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Maddie Stover, Professor in the Department of Climate, Meteorology, and Atmospheric Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Jeff Frame and Illinois State Climatologist with the Prairie Research Institute, Trent Ford talk about wildfire season in Illinois and how they’re changing under climate change.
Funding for Weather Realness is partially provided by the Backlund Charitable Trust. If you have a question for a local scientist on this program, please leave a voicemail at 217.333.2141 or email weatherrealness@illinois.edu.
