(Updated map, March 14, 2013)
All of the western United States, except for portions of the northwest and the northern Rockies, are in drought.
When people ask me this time of the year what the wildfire season is going to be like, I usually tell them to ask me again in August and I’ll have a better idea. While drought has an effect on how busy a fire season will be, the more important factor is the weather DURING the fire season. If it is hot and dry, there will be more blackened acres than average. Cool and wet weather in the summer results in a slower fire season.
