Every corner of Washington State will have the potential for wildfires until the end of September, according to the latest outlook.
All that moisture feeding the grasses and other fire fuels causes greater growth. So, when that dry spring hit and some early heat caused a snow melt, that opened the door for those fuels to start drying out – just in time, of course, for a summer with above-normal temperatures expected and the chances of drier or wetter weather this summer split between the two.
Ed Townsend with the National Weather Service says that’s why we’re looking at National Interagency Fire Center maps of Washington that show bright red for July, August and September. “While there is a subtle change between July and August, the theme July outwards,” Townsend says, “above normal significant fire potential is present across Washington and much of Oregon and Idaho.”
Townsend also just updated the drought potential, although it’s not much of an update because he says, as previously expected, areas of drought will likely continue their growth, especially in Western Washington.