Early spring fire season

AccuWeather Meteorologist Melissa Constanzer explains factors that increase risk of brush fires heading into spring.

Transcript

00:00fire season can be explosive in early spring from Texas to New York, acres can burn quickly.

00:08The trouble starts anywhere from small parks near major cities to open prairies in the

00:12nation's heartland. So why does this happen in spring? Isn't spring usually wet? Many

00:18may not think that fires can start easily in early spring. First, you have to think

00:23about what a fire needs, and once they start, they need more air and fuel to grow. In early

00:29spring, before things actually green up, there's a lot of dry, dead vegetation from

00:33last fall. In fact, you can think of all the dried leaves and dead brown grass on the ground.

00:38And then of course, weather plays a hand in things. The sun's rays are more intense, creating

00:42a warming effect and drying effect. Also, high winds commonly found in early spring

00:47can quickly dry out areas that may have seen heavy rain just days before. And if the area

00:53is in a drought, this will only add to the fire threat. Relieving the frost out of the

00:57ground and making it squishy doesn't mean there's not a fire threat.