While the rest of the country is in a deep polar freeze, temperatures in Arizona have been bordering on extremely warm for the season. While this is certainly welcome to most individuals, when it is coupled with our recent lower-than-average rainfall, experts are warning that wildfire season could be much more severe.

Beginning as early as March, the wildfire season is the time of year when new Spring growth has occurred, and rainfall has ceased. When you add in Arizona’s brutally hot Summer days, wildfires can spring up seemingly out of nowhere, and can spiral out of control extremely quickly.

This year is aiming to be a problematic one, according to Tonto National Forest officer Helen Graham. She went on record saying “we’re in a long term drought and if you look at our two-year rainfall average we are well below normal. With high temperatures and lack of spring precipitation, what’s going to happen is the grass is going to dry out sooner, brush and trees stressed by the lack of water are going to be receptive to fire as well.”

Arizona is no stranger to dry weather, but if we do not start getting some rains soon, this will be one of the driest Januaries that the state has ever seen. Experts are hoping that we see a good amount of Spring and monsoon-season rains, in order to help mitigate some of the danger.

If you live in one of the outlying areas of Phoenix, you are advised to keep all of your plants well-groomed and watered, and to clear away any and all debris in a timely manner. If you have a neighbor that you are worried about, you can call your city Code Compliance Department, and they can send the fire department to inspect.