Eastern Oregon Bear said:I'd say you're both right. Above normal rain in the spring leads to more grass and annual plant growth along with more undergrowth in forests. When the dry summer hits, the plants die off and provide more fuel to fire starts, giving them greater chances of becoming big fires. On the other hand, rain during the summer provides moisture to the fuels and it takes several days to a week or two to dry them back out to critical levels.concordtom said:Cal88 said:
Ironically, a heavy rainy season might actually amplify fire risks in CA, as there will be more dried-up growth available to burn in September-October fire season.
The vegetation in CA, much like in other dry areas like the Mediterrannean, is actually designed to burn down with regular frequency during fire season (July-August in Europe, Sept-Oct in CA). Those regular cycles have been interrupted in CA through human intervention, which has resulted in the accumulation of very high volume of fuel for fires. That is the main reason fires have become more intense recently. The key here is better forest management.
Santa Rosa's Coffey Park totally disagrees with you. Because they don't have a forest to manage. Repeating a Trump line is no bueno, senior.
I think fire marshals would also suggest that 1 day of rain per month between Nay and September would help.
It hardly ever rains in the Summer, and when it does rain, it`s too sporadic and light, so you can`t really count on this to have an appreciable impact on fire season.
Peak fire season coincides with the highest temperatures in late Summer, which comes after a long period of bone dry weather.
