MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Plenty of rain over the past few weeks has really helped out vegetation and crops across Northeast Wisconsin.
With drought no longer an issue at this time, it seems as though wildfires are no longer top of mind, either.
“Coming into 2024, we were definitely in a precipitation deficit, so we had been monitoring the drought conditions up until recently,” said Catherine Koele, the wildfire specialist with the Wisconsin DNR.
She said the agency had been monitoring the situation up until only a few weeks ago — and that’s thanks in part to recent rain activity. As of Wednesday, all 72 of Wisconsin’s counties have a low fire danger.
“I’m hopeful that this trend will definitely continue. The vegetation is greening up very well and that’s really going to help reduce the risk for wildfires,” Koele said.
She believes that is good news as we head into the unofficial start of summer.
“Going into Memorial Day weekend, we don’t anticipate any major concerns as it relates to wildfires that could start and spread rapidly. However, even in low and moderate days, wildfires can still happen,” said Koele.
Wisconsin is no stranger to wildfires. In mid-July of last year, the Pallet Fire broke out in Waushara County and it took firefighters a few days to put out.
With recent storms bringing strong winds, people need to be careful when burning debris.
“We anticipate a lot of debris burning in our future, so folks are going to be cleaning up those leaves, branches, even trees that are down,” Koele explained. “So it’s really important for folks especially, as we head into the summer months, we don’t know what the future is going to hold in terms of that drought monitor and the day-to-day precipitation.”
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