Oregon Public Broadcasting

Wildfire season won't start for a while in Oregon and Washington. That's thanks to rain that's fallen late this spring. 

John Saltenberger manages the Fire Weather program for the Northwest Interagency Coordinating center.

John Saltenberger: "It would seem that the preceding  dry winter conditions were largely negated by a very wet spring. But it's the weather during the fire season that really makes all the difference."

Some meteorologists have suggested that recent rain will help build up small tinder in western rangelands and that will increase the risk for large fires.

Saltenberger disagrees. He says wind is what really drives fire intensity.

John Saltenberger: "If the winds are dead calm, even with an ignition source and plenty of fuels fires tend not to move very fast. "

The department of interior expects a busy fire season around the west, especially in northern Idaho and Montana.

There are 18,000 firefighters are available to fight wildfires this year.