Wet winter doesn t mean end to wildfire threats December 30 2020
Weather in the summer and fall is a bigger predictor of the fire season, expert says.
This year s annual Winter Weather Forecast Conference may have raised hopes among those still reeling from last summer s severe wildfires. Most of the forecasters who spoke at the Oct. 24 event sponsored by the Oregon chapter of the American Meteorological Society predicted a much wetter winter than the past few years, with more rain and a deeper snowpack which is already nearly back to normal levels.
That won t guarantee fewer or milder forest fires in 2021, however. According to John Saltenberger, one of the most experienced meteorologists in the region, the weather during fire season is more important that the weather before it. If the summer and fall are hot and dry enough, the previous winter and spring won t make much difference, especially with climate change raising average temperatures.