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On the heels of a dry winter, firefighters around the US brace for wildfire risks

Across the US, but particularly in the Southwest, forecasts call for continued warm and dry weather following a meteorological winter that ranked as the third driest on record, according to NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information.
This unusually dry winter, characterized by a lack of adequate snowpack in many mountain ranges, was caused by drought conditions that have been proceeding for months, with one hydrologist describing it as "the tap just turned off."
The dry conditions manifested in various ways, including a 50-inch snowfall deficit in a northern Arizona city, at least 17 sites in New Mexico marking record or tied-record driest winters, Albuquerque logging only 0.12 inches of precipitation over three months, and the Anchorage airport recording its driest February on record, while large areas of Alaska were nearly snow-free as of March 1.
The lack of moisture and warm temperatures, as noted by Roy Hall of the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, have led to numerous red flag warnings in Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of the Midwest, with Phoenix Fire Department officials warning of increasing risks, and fires already destroying hundreds of homes in Oklahoma in mid-March.
In response to the elevated wildfire risks, fueled by tinder-dry vegetation and forecasts for continued warm and dry weather, over 1,000 firefighters and fire managers participated in an annual wildfire academy in Arizona, municipal leaders hosted community meetings to raise awareness, and officials like Scottsdale Mayor Lisa Borowsky are exploring options such as volunteer brigades, while fire prevention officials emphasize the importance of individual preparedness, quoting "Day 1 of firefighting is now.

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