Mat-Su wildfire danger reduced after wet months - but not gone
The airport in Palmer saw 33 times more rain last month than in a typical year, weather officials said.
PALMER — Several months of abnormally wet weather have reduced the wildland fire danger in the Mat-Su, but residents should still be cautious, state fire prevention officials said this week.
A low winter snowpack left unusually dry conditions early this spring, prompting state and Matanuska-Susitna Borough officials to issue stern warnings about increased fire risk.
But unseasonably wet weather through the spring and into early June has decreased that danger -- at least for now -- according to state forestry officials.
“Back in March, due to lack of snow cover, things were looking very different,” said Sam Harrell, a spokesperson for the Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection. “The rain has certainly changed the outlook for fire.”
The Mat-Su has received 5.09 inches of precipitation so far this year, more than 2.5 inches above average, according to weather data collected from the Palmer Municipal Airport by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
May was particularly wet compared to most years, NOAA meteorologist Michael Kutz said Thursday. In a typical year, the Palmer airport records almost no rain in May, with an average of 0.02 inches. This year, it received 0.66 inches, or about 33 times the usual amount.
The first 11 days of June were also unusually soggy, Kutz said, with three times more rainfall than the month typically sees in total. The month was also cooler than normal, with the average temperature logged at the Palmer airport this month was 49.5 degrees, about six degrees below normal, he said.
Fortunately for sun lovers, that wet, cooler weather may be on its way out. While some showers are expected in the Mat-Su early next week, the abundant sunshine forecast for this weekend should continue regularly through August, with near-normal temperatures over the next three months.
That return of warm weather means fire danger could continue to fluctuate, Harrell said. Residents should remain cautious with small campfires and obtain permits for all other burns, officials said.
“Our long solar days here in Alaska can dry things out quick,” Harrell said.
-- Contact Amy Bushatz at contact@matsusentinel.com
