The main fire season for Montana is just a few months away. But did you know the normally humid east coast of the United States has a fire season too? Several fires over1000 acres have already burned through late winter and early spring in the Atlantic states. Let's dive into some of these fires and what's causing them to become so impactful.
Florida, New Jersey, and the Carolinas all dealing with destructive wildfires that have burned thousands of acres.
In the Sunshine State, crews dealing with more than 60 active fires that have led to 29-thousand acres of subtropical forest burned.
The fires in the Carolinas are smaller, but no less destructive. Three fires have a combined acreage of 2 to 3 thousand in western North Carolina. A 2000-acre fire in early March disrupted the popular tourist destination, Myrtle Beach. Thousands have had to evacuate their homes and have been put under air quality alerts.
Also complicating containment efforts are downed trees left in the wake of Hurricane Helene last September.
The northeast hasn't been spared either. In New Jersey, where they are experiencing extreme drought, A 2,300-acre fire torched the Wharton State Forest.
These fires and others have combined to make an active start to the year for firefighters.
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, almost 12,000 fires have been reported through March 21st. Compared to last year, only 3,900 were reported through the same period.
There has been improvement in one area, overall land burned is down by about 1.2 million acres.
The spring season is usually the driest for the east coast, with less overall large-scale storm systems entering the region. Conditions should improve, however, as we shift from a La Niña pattern to a more neutral pattern. La Niña usually brings drier and warmer conditions, while the in-between pattern will usher in more moisture.
