"The West is a tinderbox": Heat and drought set the stage for the huge wildfires burning across the region
I led the data analysis, visualization, storyboarding, and interviews, and co-wrote the piece for NBC News.
Small multiple map
This first graphic shows how a wave of record-breaking temperatures exacerbated extreme wildfire conditions across the West. The version in the article resizes for phone, tablet, and desktop.
Tools
Python for scraping of weather records and analysis of ERC
QGIS
Adobe Illustrator (ai2html)
The version embedded in the article is responsive.
Interactive bar chart
This second graphic lets the reader explore how this year’s wildfire season compares to previous seasons in their region of the US. This graphic was a collaborative effort with my colleague.
Tools
Python (built a web scraper that downloaded hundreds of daily Incident Situation Management Reports from the NIFC archive and scraped the data from the PDFs)
d3.js
The version embedded in the article is responsive.