Low snowpack and worsening drought conditions are putting the West at risk for another extreme fire year, setting the region up to continue its cycle of dry summers and disastrous wildfire danger, experts say.
Moji Sadegh, an assistant professor of civil engineering at Boise State University, coauthored an article published in The Conversation last week that predicted a dangerous wildfire season as well as a water crisis in the Western U.S.
Last year, Idaho was spared the historic wildfires that destroyed towns and killed people in California, Oregon and Washington. It was a lucky break in a dry year, Sadegh said. The previous three years were fairly wet, meaning Idahoâs fuel load has been growing. That, coupled with the growing dry conditions in the state, could prove bad for this yearâs season, he said.
Last year s wildfire season was historic for West, but Idaho escaped How about this year? msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Extreme Fire Season Expected Across Mountain West
By Madelyn Beck,
All signs are pointing to an extreme fire season across the region this year. The Mountain West is facing a number of water shortages, according to Boise State University professor Moji Sadegh.
“We are down on river flows, we are down on dam storage, we are down on soil moisture. It’s hotter. Everything is converging,” Sadegh said.
Unfortunately, he says the hotter it is, the dryer it gets, and things can deteriorate quickly. In the last few weeks, our region has been drying up rapidly. Now, a whopping 84% of the West is in a drought.
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