Wildfire concerns mount with hot, dry weather outlook in Washington

It may not feel like it, thanks to a snowy February that broke records, but the state had an abnormally dry winter overall. Drought is expected to set in through much of the western half of the state by early summer, according to the National Weather Service.



April 1 is typically the day the state reaches its peak snowpack. Right now, it's at about 80 percent of what is normal -- again, despite how much lowland snow the region saw a couple of months ago.



"Not really great news in terms of how much water we'll have later in the summer," said Karin Bumbaco, assistant state climatologist. "Last year at this time, we had really good snowpack throughout the state."

Dry conditions heading into the warmer seasons has its own dangers. Significant wildfire risk has been rated as above normal by the National Interagency Fire Center for most areas west of the Cascades.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/wildfire-concerns-mount-with-hot-dry-weather-outlook-in-washington/ar-BBVNNWj