Is there a dry season in the Southeast US?

Fill et al. (Global Change Biology, 25, 3562-3569, 2019) reported significant increases in dry season length over the past 120 years in the Southeast US, suggesting increased wildfire risk in a region associated with a frequent fire regime. We identified two flaws that call into question the findings and their relevance to regional wildfire risk. First, with the exception of Florida, there is little evidence for a climatologically meaningful 'dry season' in the Southeast because most areas experience relatively evenly distributed monthly precipitation. Second, the sampling method used to derive Cumulative Rainfall Anomalies does not appear to actually reflect a bootstrap sample as described.

Automated summary

Fill et al. reported significant increases in dry season length over the past 120 years in the Southeast US, suggesting increased wildfire risk. However, there are doubts about the existence of a climatologically meaningful 'dry season' in the region and the flawed sampling method used in the study.