A dangerous mix of conditions appear to have combined to make the wildfires blazing a path of destruction in Hawaii particularly damaging, including high winds, low humidity and dry vegetation.

Experts also say climate change is increasing the likelihood of more extreme weather events like what91裸聊视频檚 playing out on the island of Maui, where dozens of people have been killed and a historic tourist town was devastated.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 leading to these unpredictable or unforeseen combinations that we91裸聊视频檙e seeing right now and that are fueling this extreme fire weather,91裸聊视频� said Kelsey Copes-Gerbitz, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of British Columbia91裸聊视频檚 faculty of forestry. 91裸聊视频淲hat these 91裸聊视频� catastrophic wildfire disasters are revealing is that nowhere is immune to the issue.91裸聊视频�

What91裸聊视频檚 fueling them?

Major differences in air pressure drove unusually strong trade winds that fanned the destructive flames, according to meteorologists.

Trade winds are a normal feature of Hawaii91裸聊视频檚 climate. They91裸聊视频檙e caused when air moves from the high-pressure system pressure north of Hawaii 91裸聊视频� known as the North Pacific High 91裸聊视频� to the area of low pressure at the equator, to the south of the state.

But Hurricane Dora, which passed south of the islands this week, is exacerbating the low-pressure system and increasing the difference in air pressure to create 91裸聊视频渦nusually strong trade winds,91裸聊视频� said Genki Kino, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Honolulu.

Hawaii91裸聊视频檚 state climatologist, Pao-Shin Chu, said he was caught off guard by the impact Dora had from roughly 500 miles (800 kilometers) away.

91裸聊视频淗urricane Dora is very far away from Hawaii, but you still have this fire occurrence here. So this is something we didn91裸聊视频檛 expect to see,91裸聊视频� he said.

Strong winds, combined with low humidity and an abundance of dry vegetation that burns easily, can increase the danger of wildfire, even on a tropical island like Maui.

91裸聊视频淚f you have all of those conditions at the same time, it91裸聊视频檚 often what the National Weather Service calls 91裸聊视频榬ed flag conditions,91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� said Erica Fleishman, director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute at Oregon State University.

How climate change plays a role

91裸聊视频淐limate change in many parts of the world is increasing vegetation dryness, in large part because temperatures are hotter,91裸聊视频� Fleishman said. 91裸聊视频淓ven if you have the same amount of precipitation, if you have higher temperatures, things dry out faster.91裸聊视频�

Clay Trauernicht, a fire scientist at the University of Hawaii, said the wet season can spur plants like Guinea grass, a nonnative, invasive species found across parts of Maui, to grow as quickly as 6 inches (15 centimeters) a day and reach up to 10 feet (3 meters) tall. When it dries out, it creates a tinderbox that91裸聊视频檚 ripe for wildfire.

91裸聊视频淭hese grasslands accumulate fuels very rapidly,91裸聊视频� Trauernicht said. 91裸聊视频淚n hotter conditions and drier conditions, with variable rainfall, it91裸聊视频檚 only going to exacerbate the problem.91裸聊视频�

Stronger hurricanes

Climate change not only increases the fire risk by driving up temperatures, but also makes stronger hurricanes more likely. In turn, those storms could fuel stronger wind events like the one behind the Maui fires.

That91裸聊视频檚 on top of other threats made worse by climate changes.

91裸聊视频淭here91裸聊视频檚 an increasing trend in the intensity of hurricanes worldwide, in part because warm air holds more water,91裸聊视频� Fleishman said. 91裸聊视频淚n addition to that, sea levels are rising worldwide, so you tend to get more severe flooding from the storm surge when a hurricane makes landfall.91裸聊视频�

While climate change can91裸聊视频檛 be said to directly cause singular events, experts say, the impact extreme weather is having on communities is undeniable.

91裸聊视频淭hese kinds of climate change-related disasters are really beyond the scope of things that we91裸聊视频檙e used to dealing with,91裸聊视频� UBC91裸聊视频檚 Copes-Gerbitz said. 91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 these kind of multiple, interactive challenges that really lead to a disaster.91裸聊视频�

Claire Rush, The Associated Press