© 2021
In touch with the world ... at home on the High Plains
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

High Likelihood Of Wildfires In Kansas This Winter

Predictive Service, National Interagency Fire Center

For the third straight year, Kansans can expect a higher than average danger for wildland fire. 

Kansas Forest Service meteorologist Chip Redmond says a wet spring is the main factor for why forecasters are predicting an increased likelihood of wildfires this winter. He says some areas of southern Kansas saw more than 150 percent of normal precipitation.

“So that set the premise for excessive fuel growth, especially the grasses,” he says.

Extra growth, coupled with a very dry November and December, greatly increases the chance for severe fires, like the Starbuck fire that burned roughly 500,000 acres in Kansas earlier this year.

“We’re looking at fires that last multiple burn periods and possibly multiple days,” Redmond says.

The outlook means people should be extra careful with their fires and should look at the wind and rain forecasts before undertaking any burns.

--Follow Brian Grimmett on Twitter @briangrimmett.

To contact KMUW News or to send in a news tip, reach us at news@kmuw.org.

 

Copyright 2017 KMUW | NPR for Wichita

Brian Grimmett comes to KMUW after taking a year break from journalism, but he’s excited to jump back in to the fray. Previously, Brian spent almost five years working at KUER 90.1 FM in Salt Lake City. He worked his way up, starting as an intern and sticking around long enough until they relented and gave him a full-time job. At KUER, Brian covered a wide range of topics, but mainly focused on covering the Utah state legislature.