Deepening Drought Holds ‘Ominous’ Signs For Wildfire Threat In The West
By Eric Westervelt
May 6, 2021
After one of the most destructive and extreme wildfire seasons in modern history last year, a widening drought across California and much of the West has many residents bracing for the possibility this season could be worse.
Anemic winter rain and snowfall has left reservoirs and river flows down significantly, even as the state experiences its driest water year in more than four decades. Today, wildfire fuels in some parts of California are at or near record levels of dryness.
Fuel moisture the amount of water inside a living plant “is the lowest that we’ve recorded at these sites since 2013,” says Craig Clements, director of the Wildfire Interdisciplinary Research Center at San Jose State University. “It’s indicative of very dangerous conditions coming into this summer.”
AccuWeather says expect a wet, chilly Mothers Day weekend in the KELO Radio listening area By Todd Epp
May 6, 2021 12:13 PM
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) AccuWeather meteorologists have been monitoring a potent storm expected to move through the northwestern United States late this week before it eyes the central U.S. The system is forecast to produce a narrow zone of drenching rain in the Midwest with the risk of severe thunderstorms igniting farther south during Mother’s Day weekend.
The storm is expected to move slowly but steadily eastward from the Plains Saturday to the Ohio Valley on Mother’s Day. The exact track of the storm will determine the north and south extent of the rain.
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Owner and founder Jeff Smith in front of what remains of the Hourglass winery and processing facility in Napa. He s rebuilding, but wildfires have him rethinking everything about his land and business.
(Eric Westervelt/NPR)
After one of the most destructive and extreme wildfire seasons in modern history last year, a widening drought across California and much of the West has many residents bracing for the possibility this season could be worse.
Anemic winter rain and snowfall has left reservoirs and river flows down significantly, even as the state experiences its driest water year in more than four decades. Today, wildfire fuels in some parts of California are at or near record levels of dryness.
Rain, Snow Help Efforts to Fight New Mexico Wildfire
The Weather Channel 47 mins ago Ron Brackett and Jan Wesner Childs
Crews battling a wildfire burning in southern New Mexico got an assist from a second day of wetter weather on Wednesday. Rain and snow are falling again today, which is lessening fire activity, according to an update posted at 11 a.m. MDT. Up to a half inch of rain is expected on portion of the fire. Precipitation and higher humidity levels around 30% will slow the fire.
But officials warned that erratic winds along mountain ridges in the area of the fire were expected to continue.
Drought, High Temps Damaging New Mexico s Forests and Creating Risk For Catastrophic Wildfires
The Weather Channel 2 hrs ago Ron Brackett
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An intensifying drought is putting New Mexico’s forests in danger, and if conditions don t improve, state officials warn, the risk of insect outbreaks and catastrophic wildfires will increase.
The number of acres of forest and woodlands with insect, disease, and drought-stress damage on state and private lands increased 9% in 2020 from the year before, according to the state s 2020 Forest Health Conditions Report released last week.
“Climate directly influences forest health on multiple levels,” State Forester Laura McCarthy said in a news release. “Lack of rain, warming temperatures, and an increase in carbon dioxide continually alter our forest ecosystems, increasing the risk of insect outbreaks and catastrophic wildfire.”