AccuWeather Meteorologist Melissa Constanzer explains factors that increase risk of brush fires heading into spring.
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00:00fire season can be explosive in early spring from Texas to New York, acres can burn quickly.
00:08The trouble starts anywhere from small parks near major cities to open prairies in the
00:12nation's heartland. So why does this happen in spring? Isn't spring usually wet? Many
00:18may not think that fires can start easily in early spring. First, you have to think
00:23about what a fire needs, and once they start, they need more air and fuel to grow. In early
00:29spring, before things actually green up, there's a lot of dry, dead vegetation from
00:33last fall. In fact, you can think of all the dried leaves and dead brown grass on the ground.
00:38And then of course, weather plays a hand in things. The sun's rays are more intense, creating
00:42a warming effect and drying effect. Also, high winds commonly found in early spring
00:47can quickly dry out areas that may have seen heavy rain just days before. And if the area
00:53is in a drought, this will only add to the fire threat. Relieving the frost out of the
00:57ground and making it squishy doesn't mean there's not a fire threat.