"Most of the United States is expected to see warmer-than-average temperatures this spring, federal forecasters say, with dry conditions likely in the West.

That's raising concerns about wildfires, especially in parts of the Southwest, Great Plains, and the Upper Mississippi River Valley, said Jon Gottschalck, operations branch chief at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center.

The southern High Plains, in particular, which includes Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas, is going to be "quite vulnerable to high wildfire risk, especially during high wind events," Gottschalck said Thursday on a call with reporters.

Texas recently suffered the largest wildfire in the state's history, which investigators say was started by power lines. In the Mid-Atlantic this week, high winds helped fuel blazes in North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland."

Michael Copley reports for NPR March 21, 2024. [2]