Beware: Rough wildfire season ahead

[xchrom]

http://grist.org/news/expect-a-rough-wildfire-season-ahead/


An inferno that led to the evacuation of thousands of Southern Californians last week was a harbinger of a nasty fire season ahead for America’s West and Southwest.

A change in the weather on Sunday helped firefighters start to bring the Springs Fire in the Santa Monica Mountains under control, three days after it sparked to life amid hot and dry conditions.

Much of California is particularly dry and unseasonably brown this year. Storms stayed away from the state over the winter and mountains are covered with just a thin layer of snow.


From USA Today:

[Ventura County Fire Capt. Dan Horton said] that a blaze like this one typically doesn’t strike until deep into summer or fall, after the summer’s dry heat has withered hillside vegetation.

[OnlinePoker]

1. Maybe a little worse in California, but nation as a whole is well below 10 year average

As of May 3rd, this is in both number of fires since the beginning of the year and number of acres burned.

http://www.nifc.gov/fireInfo/nfn.htm

[XemaSab]

2. We're bracing for it here in NorCal

Thankfully, what was supposed to be four days of dry lightning has turned into three days (so far) of scattered showers, but it's still not a good scene.