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  "path": "/2026/03/does-low-snowpack-increase-chances-of.html",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-29T04:04:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://cliffmass.blogspot.com",
  "textContent": "**You hear this all the time in the media and by climate advocacy groups:**\n\n**A below-normal snowpack means enhanced wildfire danger in Washington State.**\n\nSome samples are shown below:\n\n_________________________________________________________\n\n__________________________________________________________________\n\n**The truth is that such claims are not true. Snowpack variability has very little correlation with the area of local wildfires.**\n\nOther meteorological conditions are FAR more important than snowpack regarding wildfire acreage and the large wildfires in our region.\n\n**The facts are very clear**. To demonstrate the lack of relationship between snowpack and wildfire area, below is a plot of April 1 snowpack (the standard measure)--shown by the blue line-- and the annual acreage of burned area--red line-- for Washington State for 2002 to 2025.\n\n**You will notice very little correlation between the two lines.** Snowpack has ups and downs, perhaps a slight downward trend. Wildfire acreage has wild excursions that generally are not associated with changes in snowpack.\n\n\nOf the 24 years shown, only ONE (2015) had a combination of low snowpack and large wildfire area. But it was NOT because of snowpack.\n\nThe year was unusual for other reasons, with a crazy, persistent summer ridge of high pressure over the region, that produced very anomalous high temperatures--something shown below, and lack of summer precipitation. **2015 was the hottest summer on record in our region.**\n\n**The facts are very clear.**\n\nSnowpack has very little to do with regional wildfires. High temperature during the summer is a major contributor, since it contributes to drying of surface fuels. High winds are a contributor to some of the biggest fires, since winds can fan and spread the flames, and can contribute to fire ignition (e.g, from wildfires). Low summer relative humidity is a contributor. Low summer precipitation can contribute since that leads to low fuel moisture.\n\n**Snowpack has little to do with our local wildfires.** During a normal year, the snowpack has generally melted by early summer over the lower to middle elevations where most wildfires occur. Remember, most of wildfire are in mid-summer to early fall. Interestingly, above-normal snowfall can contribute to MORE wildfires if it provides moisture for more vegetative growth. Vegetation that later dries and becomes flammable.\n\n\n**Why is the Seattle Times and others providing obviously false information to the public about snowpack and wildfire?** Even Google's AI knows better:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n",
  "title": "Does Low Snowpack Increase the Chances of Washington State Wildfires?",
  "updatedAt": "2026-03-29T14:04:27.128Z"
}