Experts are warning that the unprecedented heat wave that has roasted the West during the past two weeks has also set the stage for a potentially perilous wildfire season. This puts the region in “uncharted territory” as it enters the wildfire season, said Jennifer Kay, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Colorado at Boulder. This early snowmelt has increased the risk of an earlier and more severe wildfire season, he said. A snow drought and heat wave has resulted in Utah receiving only around one-third of its normal early February snowpack, which has since quickly melted. If the warm pattern that has persisted from the winter into the spring continues, however, the odds of a potentially extreme wildfire season tick up considerably.

Source: Egypt Independent April 05, 2026 15:10 UTC