SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – Firefighters, like the rest of the Bay Area, are welcoming all the rain that has been falling across the region.
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What do the recent storms mean for the rest of fire season?
Captain George Laing of Contra Costa County Fire Protection District said trees and grass need to absorb all of that water in order for the rainfall to make a difference.
"We're very glad for the early season precipitation," he told KCBS Radio. "Although, as the very very hot weather of even just a couple weeks ago shows, when you have these kinds of events, that can take all of the moisture that's available and any remaining live fuel moisture – just strip it out. And if you combine that with strong offshore wind events and very low relative humidity that creates the same ingredients for every bad fire that we’ve experienced."
Laing explained that CAL FIRE will monitor the live fuel moisture to measure the impact this rain will have.
"That really is the determining factor for the fire behavior that we can see as we go into the historically worst months of the fire season, which is the end of September, October, November," he said. "So hopefully this will make a big impact and hopefully a durable impact for the rest of the season."
Of course, the rain won’t alter the existing dead vegetation, so Bay Area residents definitely can't let their guards down yet.
Laing said now is a great time to clear weeds and work on defensible space, especially with the worst fire months still to come.
"This will give you a better chance to do that without accidentally causing a fire, for example by sparking a vegetation fire by using the equipment used to abate hazard,” he said.
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