© KREM.com2015 Wildfire
Firefighters have already said that the hot, dry conditions are ripe for wildfire. Now there is new proof in the form of numbers.
Washington has already seen 313 wildfires in 2015.
By comparison, in 2014 there were only 214 wildfires and even fewer in the previous years. In 2012, firefighters battled 155 brush fires and only 55 in 2011.
Fire officials said it is combination of several factors. First, the snowpack in Washington is the lowest it has been since at least 1981. Secondly, what started as a warmer, drier winter continued into an even hotter, drier spring.
In May, the average temperature is 60 degrees according to KREM Chief Meteorologist Tom Sherry. However in 2015, May delivered six days with temperatures soaring beyond 80 degrees.
Sherry said June delivered much of the same. More than one-third of the month had temperatures registering above 80 degrees and a few 90 degree days.
Rainfall since April has measured almost 2 1/2 inches below normal.
Firefighters said trees and wild land are already showing signs of heat stress. It is the kind of stress they normally do not see until the second half of summer according to experts.
It is a recipe for an extremely dangerous fire season.
To be ready, the Department of Natural Resources has already added five additional engines, 15 firefighters, two water-dropping aircrafts, and a Huey helicopter.
They have also asked for more money. DNR leaders asked state lawmakers for $4.5 million to increase firefighting capability, and $20 million to treat and thin the forest areas most vulnerable to fire. So far, there is no indication they will get it.
Reader Comments
to our Newsletter