A warm winter so far in the western U.S. is raising concerns about this year’s fire season. Portland just had its warmest December on record, and January is also starting off well above normal.
According to OregonLive, warm weather this week should push snow levels to around 8,000 feet in the Cascades of Oregon. The mild pattern is taking its toll on the region’s snowpack, which is already running below normal.
If things don’t change, there could be significant impacts on the water supply and wildfire risk across several western states. There were signs of trouble already at the onset of winter when snowfall across the western U.S. was at its lowest level in decades…