EVERETT — The Forest Service lifted fire restrictions Friday across Snohomish County, two days before the first significant rain since spring.
On Friday, the U.S. Forest Service announced it had removed campfire restrictions in Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Some fire restrictions went into effect on July 14.
“In light of the rain we received on the forest a few days ago, and the likely season-ending rain arriving tomorrow night, the public use restrictions (campfire ban), has been lifted,” Jeff Clark, a spokesperson with Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest said Friday.
The area around Verlot had received approximately 1 inch of rain since Sunday afternoon, according to National Service Weather maps. Rain is expected in Snohomish County through much of the week.
Season-ending events are periods of precipitation that dampen fuels to the point they would be difficult to ignite.
“When it comes to season-ending events, we do not have an exact rainfall amount,” National Weather Service meteorologist Jake DeFlitch wrote in an email. “We look for wetting rains (0.25” in 12 hours), in addition to a period of cooler and wetter weather during the late summer or early fall season. In this case, Snohomish County observed 0.50”-2.00” of rainfall over the last 48 hours, with the heaviest rainfall in the Cascades.”
Temperatures have also cooled off and are expected to remain between high 50s and mid-60s throughout the week.
Despite the changes in weather, officials are still expressing caution.
“Please ensure campfires are dead out before leaving the site unattended,” Clark said.
Washington had 1,855 wildfires that burned 155,203 acres so far this year, according to a state Department of Natural Resources press release on Sept. 21. The DNR reported that the 10-year average was 1,417 fires and 288,682 acres burned.
“We’re seeing fires rage through wetter forests, even the Olympic Rainforest,” Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz said in a release. “Even though it’s been cooler, we still haven’t seen much rain, and until we do our forests remain vulnerable to wildfires that can threaten homes and fill our skies with smoke. This year has been one of the most destructive ever for the people of Washington. I’m urging everyone to continue their vigilance by not starting fires outdoors to keep our state and our firefighters safe.”
Snohomish County rescinded its burn ban on Sept. 13 for all unincorporated areas of the county. This allowed residents with burn permits for yard debris to resume controlled fires.
North Cascades National Park lifted its campfire ban on Sept. 22. Mountain Rainier National Park lifted its ban on Sept. 21.
“We will continue to see a cooler, wetter pattern through mid-week for additional rainfall,” DeFlitch wrote. “This will make significant headway in ending the fire season as this amount of rain will sufficiently wet the fuels to the point where it would become very difficult to achieve ignition.”
Jordan Hansen: 425-339-3046; jordan.hansen@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @jordyhansen.
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