SALT LAKE CITY — Meteorologists and fire experts with the National Interagency Fire Center expect the wildfire risk to be above normal for parts of Utah this summer.
The agency is forecasting elevated fire conditions because of the back-to-back wet winters and minimal fire activity last summer, which has allowed for fine fuels such as grass, bushes and other vegetation to explode in growth on the west side of central Utah's mountains.
Fine fuels can quickly dry out, leading to primed conditions for lowland wildfires.
As of this week, the latest forecast predicts southwestern and northern Utah to see above normal wildfire conditions through August, potentially extending into September as the Pacific Ocean transitions into La Nina conditions, that typically leads to drier and warmer late summer and fall months.
With this week's developing heatwave, the fire danger will inevitably increase across Utah, so it's important to be cautious to prevent human-induced fires.
