Heat and Fire Weather Concerns in the West

Heat will build over the Intermountain West and the Southwest the next couple of days. Lightning from dry thunderstorms can create new fire starts and combined with gusty winds may cause a fire to rapidly grow in Oregon and northern California. Elevated fire weather conditions are also expected in the Great Basin. Flash flooding will be possible in Arizona and west Texas, especially in burn scars. Read More >

Spring 2022 temperatures ended up about a degree or two below average at Northland climate sites, and the tilt below normal was largely due to below average March temperatures. It was a very rainy/snowy spring as well, with all sites reporting above average precipitation. International Falls broke the all-time record for the rainiest spring, and the total was almost 3 times higher than average. Major flooding has resulted in the Rainy Lake Basin along the International Border, which is expected to continue through at least June. Precipitation amounts were closer to average at Ashland, and that is generally representative of northwest Wisconsin as a whole.