Arizona’s wildfire season typically starts in late May and runs until the monsoons start in mid-June. But the fire activity so far this year indicates the state may be seeing an early beginning. The dry and warm weather they have had since the first of the year is similar to 2002 and 2011 when the very large Rodeo-Chediski and Wallow fires scorched hundreds of thousands of acres each.
Below is an excerpt from Azcentral:
…In the first quarter, 294 wildfires that burned 21,383 acres were reported, compared with the 147 fires that burned 452 acres of land in the same period last year, according to the forestry department.
“Our dry February and March months have brought the fires ahead of schedule,” said Bill Boyd, a spokesman for the Arizona State Forestry. “These disastrous seasons come in cycles of five to eight years. Given the right conditions, it’s possible that we can see one this year.”…
Late may to mid-june is not a very long fire season.