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Here’s how climate change may make Australia’s wildfires more common

Extreme wildfires down under are linked to a weather pattern that starts in the Indian Ocean

Lake Tabourie fire

A fire burns on January 4 in Lake Tabourie, Australia, about 200 kilometers south of Sydney. This season’s massive bushfires, fueled by long-term drought and extreme heat, were exacerbated by a weather pattern known as the Indian Ocean dipole.

Brett Hemmings/Getty Images Plus

By Carolyn Gramling

- More than 2 years ago

Read another version of this article at Science News Explores

Australia’s fire season normally peaks in late January — but as of January 2020, wildfires have already been raging in the country for four months, especially in the east.