The wildfire that continues to rage throughout the Fort McMurray, Alberta area, prompting at least 80,000 people to flee the flames in the largest fire-related evacuation in Alberta's history, is no fluke in this era of megafires across the American West and the mighty Boreal forests of Canada, Alaska and Russia.

It is yet another warning sign of a climate system run amok, due to a combination of human-caused global warming and natural climate variability, according to climate studies and experts.

SEE ALSO: Massive wildfire prompts evacuation of entire Canadian city

Officials had feared that the 2016 Alberta wildfire season would start early this year, thanks to a dry and mild winter and early spring.

However, no one anticipated a blaze such as this: a fire that grew so rapidly and burned so ferociously that an entire city had to be hastily evacuated, with entire neighborhoods likely lost to the flames.

"When you leave ... it's an overwhelming feeling to think that you'll never see your house again," said Fort McMurray resident Carol Christian, who drove to the evacuation center with her son and their cat.

"It was absolutely horrifying when we were sitting there in traffic. You look up and then you watch all the trees candle-topping ... up the hills where you live and you're thinking, 'Oh my God. We got out just in time.' "

Omega block leads to record heat

The fire erupted during a day of extraordinary warmth in Alberta and nearby provinces, with temperatures reaching 32 degrees Celsius, or about 90 degrees Fahrenheit, all the way to nearly to 60 degrees north latitude.

Such temperatures are virtually unheard of at this time of year, since snow cover typically prevents such mild temperatures from occurring until June at the earliest in the far northern latitudes.

“The weather is becoming more conducive to fire like we’re seeing this spring"

However, due in part to an El Niño event in the tropical Pacific Ocean, the winter season was milder and drier than average, which has led to an anemic snow cover throughout northwest Canada.

This has allowed the soil and vegetation to dry out, making it more susceptible to wildfires.

'The worst of the fire is not over.' Heat, strong winds still a major challenge: https://t.co/PZqin78SOw #ymmfire pic.twitter.com/Oghl6mHjvq — The Weather Network (@weathernetwork) May 4, 2016

In addition, long-term trends associated with human-caused global warming include earlier spring snow melt and later starts to the winter season, which is lengthening wildfire seasons from Alaska to Alberta, and south to New Mexico.

According to Mike Flannigan, a wildfire specialist at the University of Alberta, the area burned by wildfires in Alberta has more than doubled since 1970, a trend he said is partly tied to global warming.

Climate data shows that Fort McMurray has seen an increase in the number of days with high temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius, or 77 degrees Fahrenheit, since 1950. This number has jumped from an average of 21 such days in 1950 to an average of 35 such days in 2010.

A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2013 found that boreal forests, which form a ring around the world just below the Arctic Circle, have been burning at rates that are unprecedented in 10,000 years. That study tied such burn rates to warming temperatures and increased evaporation.

Global warming is also leading to more extreme fire weather days such as what occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday, with dry soils, record temperatures and strong winds.

A study Flannigan published in the journal Climatic Change earlier this year, for example, found that as average temperatures increase in parts of Canada, the result will be "a higher frequency of extreme fire weather days" due mainly to the drying influence of warmer temperatures.



“The weather is becoming more conducive to fire like we’re seeing this spring," Flannigan told Mashable in an interview.

“The increase in fire activity in Canada is due to human-caused climate change,” he said.

Flannigan called the Fort McMurray fire, “A really challenging situation," and warned that "the forecast looks even worse today,” with continued record heat, extremely dry air and stronger winds than on Tuesday.



Social media erupts as residents flee Fort McMurray fire. The scene is terrifying: https://t.co/73rz9cheft #ymmfire pic.twitter.com/REVeYFicns — The Weather Network (@weathernetwork) May 4, 2016

According to Environment Canada, which is the official weather agency for the country, 26 locations in Alberta set or tied high temperature records on Tuesday, and more record heat and high winds are likely to occur on Wednesday too.

This poses huge challenges for firefighters who will face a raging and unpredictable blaze that is not anywhere close to being under control.

Computer model projection of temperature anomalies on Wednesday May 4, 2016. Image: climate re-analyzer

Fire chief Darby Allen told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. on Wednesday that parts of wooded areas of the city are still burning but no structures were currently on fire. Allen said he's worried about the plumes of smoke he sees outside his window, as well as the wind and its direction. "It could be even more devastating unfortunately," he said.

Firefighters were working to protect critical infrastructure, including the only bridge across the Athabasca River and Highway 63, the only route to the city from the south.

Forestry manager Bernie Schmitte told reporters overnight that there was still danger from "very high temperatures, low relative humidities and some strong winds."

The warmth was especially pronounced in Fort McMurray, where the high temperature hit a record 32.6 degrees Celsius, or 91 degrees Fahrenheit, besting the old record of 27.8 degrees Celsius by about 5 degrees Celsius. Records there date back to 1944.

Such extreme heat at this time of year is about 40 degrees Fahrenheit, or 23 degrees Celsius, above average for this location.

The average high temperature on May 3 in Fort McMurray is about 14 degrees Celsius, or 58 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Environment Canada.

In Fort Chipewyan, the record high of 25.9 degrees Celsius, or 79 degrees Fahrenheit, beat the old record of 20.6 degrees Celsius, or 69 degrees Fahrenheit, by nearly 6 degrees Celsius, which is an unusually large margin. Records there date back to 1884, and the old daily high temperature record was set in 1898.

The record heat and destructive wildfire are partly the result of below average snowfall this winter, which has allowed the landscape to dry out earlier than it normally would.

Typically, melting snow cover in early May would keep springtime temperatures far lower.

Temperature departures from average on Tuesday, May 3, 2016, showing the huge area of unusually mild conditions across Alberta. Image: Weatherbell analytics

In addition, the weather pattern across North America features an unusually wavy jet stream that resembles the Greek letter Omega. Such "Omega blocks," as they are known to meteorologists, often lead to prolonged periods of extreme weather, and this time is no exception.

The pattern is allowing mild air to spill far into Northwest Canada, while cool and wet conditions are trapped along the East Coast of the U.S.

Environment Canada is forecasting cooler conditions to return to Fort McMurray by Thursday, but by then much more damage may be done.

Two omega blocks in quadrature to blame for the record heat in western Canada ... 20°C at 850mb extends well north. pic.twitter.com/Z012vntdoI — Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) May 4, 2016

In general, wildfire season has gotten longer and burned hotter in much of the American West and Alaska, as well as the western provinces of Canada, as average temperatures have risen and snow melt has occurred earlier in the year.

Studies show these trends are linked to manmade global warming, although individual fires like the one on Tuesday are often triggered by arson, lightning and other causes.

Ironically, Fort McMurray has been one of the biggest boom towns of Canada's Athabasca oil sands industry during the past decade. This oil, when burned, releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, warming the planet and exacerbating wildfires in the process.

This oil is some of the most carbon intensive in the world, which has made curbing its use a major priority for environmental groups that are working to limit the severity of global warming and its associated impacts, including worsening wildfires.

Low oil prices during the past year have prompted many oil and gas drilling companies there to lay off workers and, in some cases, shut down entirely. However, if prices rebound, these trends may be reversed.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press.