High winds, low humidity and hot temperatures are some of the ingredients that make fire season in Arizona so dangerous.
The 2023 wildfire season, however, is starting off with a simmer.
"It's been pretty quiet so far mainly due to the fact that we had all of that moisture over the last couple of months," said Tiffany Davila with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.
In the next few weeks, however, fire weather may start ramping up in southern Arizona.
"We do have the potential for high fire activity with large-scale wildfires down in southern Arizona because of the fuel bed down there," Davila explained. "The grass is waist to chest high in some areas and we just have fuel on top of fuel because of the winter rains."
The outlook for this summer's season shows a normal to below normal fire concern in northern Arizona, then normal conditions through monsoon season.
This is a different story compared to 2022 when the Tunnel and Crooks fires burned nearly 30,000 acres of land combined in April. This is unusual since wildfires in central and northern Arizona don't typically start until May and June.
Even though the season is starting off slowly, Davila says to keep your guard up.
"We're making sure that people understand that, yes, we had this ample precipitation over the last couple of months but just be mindful when you're working outdoors. All it takes is one spark to start a fast-moving wildfire"
