Summer is still months away, but many folks in Washington enjoyed a glimpse of it with record-high temperatures last week as we headed into the official start of spring. Sadly, Thursday also marked the beginning of another season for the state: wildfire season.
Areas in Washington state are already dealing with an unusually high number of wildfires: 50 total, with 49 on the west side of the state, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
The Washington state DNR meteorologist says that weather and environmental conditions helped make the early start to the season possible.
"This event stands out not because of the phenomenon but the timing," Washington State DNR meteorologist Josh Clark said in a blog post.