Federal fire forecasters are warning that Arizona faces above-normal wildfire potential this month — and the numbers backing that up are hard to ignore.
The National Interagency Fire Center released its April outlook, showing significant wildfire potential rated above normal across much of Arizona and the broader Southwest, along with parts of the southern Plains and Southeast.
Nationally, fire activity has already been running well ahead of historical averages. More than 1.6 million acres have burned so far this year — More than 16,000 wildfires have been reported since January first, coming in at 168 percent of normal.
Activity spiked sharply in the second half of March, prompting the national preparedness level to climb to two on a five-point scale. The southern region pushed even higher, reaching a geographic preparedness level of three.
For Yavapai County residents, the outlook reinforces what fire officials say every spring — the window for defensible space cleanup and evacuation planning is now, not when smoke is on the horizon.