The major heat wave expected in California’s Central Valley this weekend will bring triple-digit temperatures and increased fire risk, a harbinger for what figures to be another scorching summer. And this year the typically cool coastal areas may not be spared, raising the possibility of even more widely spread wildfires for a state long beleaguered by them. … AccuWeather senior meteorologist Scott Homan said the chances of wildfires will also be heightened, especially in Southern California after it received below-average precipitation in the winter and early spring. Most of the region is in a drought, and significant parts are in extreme drought. …The National Interagency Fire Center noted the snowpack has been melting faster than usual amid warm weather in the West and will dissipate by late June even in mountain areas that had large accumulations, removing a barrier to wildfire spread over the summer.

Other drought and fire risk news around the West:

• National Integrated Drought Information System: News release: Looking ahead at summer drought in 2025
• Source NM (Santa Fe): NM Gov declares state of emergency for ongoing drought, fire risk
• Colorado Public Radio: Drought conditions likely to get worse in Colorado as Western water supplies shrink
• ABC4 (Salt Lake City, Utah): Video: Water supplies in northeastern Utah face shortages following dry spring and low snowpack
• Missoula Current (Montana): Utah creeps deeper into drought; forecast points to a hot summer