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Long term forecasts have been calling for an active spring wildfire season, and it looks like the predictions were correct.
According to the BC Wildfire Service, in the last seven days the province has seen 44 new wildfire starts. Of those, 41 are suspected to be human caused. The causes for the other three fires are currently undetermined.
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Of those 44 new starts, 20 have been put out, five are being held, three are out of control and 16 are under control.
In the last 24 hours, there have been nine new fires in BC, with eight of them suspected to be human caused and one undetermined.
The BCWS notes that a spring wildfire season is common.
In addition to responding to new fires, crews are also closely monitoring holdover fires.
“As the snow melts and the air becomes drier with moderate winds, there is the potential for increased fire activity,” BCWS says.
BCWS adds that, while recent snowfall may seem beneficial, its impact is expected to be minimal.
As of February 1, the BC River Forecast Centre reported an extremely low provincial snowpack, averaging 61% of normal across the province.
That low snowpack will limit surface runoff, stream flows, and fuel moisture recharge, which could limit drought recovery into summer 2024.
The months of May and June are expected to be more telling of what kind of wildfire season we’ll have this summer, as they tend to be the rainiest months in the Interior.
“The amount and duration of rain events during this period influences the length and intensity of the core wildfire season.” explains the BCWS.
“It is too early to tell though; long-range weather forecasts, especially for precipitation, are unreliable. However, meteorologists are skeptical that sufficient rainfall will occur.”
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