SACRAMENTO, CA - For the past decade or so, fires have been a devastating part of California life. Due to this past winter, though, we may be seeing a shorter and more manageable fire season.

As the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported, California has only just begun to see a historic snowpack melt into streams and rivers. These flows could be high for many weeks. Due to the wet winter and lingering snowpack, the agency’s Southern California coordination center anticipates fewer than 100,000 acres will burn this year. This is in comparison to the typical 308,000 acres.

The agency also reported earlier in May that a majority of California has stayed below temperatures since last October. The resulting drop in temperature and rush of rain helped roughly 68 percent of the state exit drought conditions within three months. For most meteorologists, they explain that this feat would normally have required two to three years of wet weather.

Although the potential for a less devastating fire season is great, the snowpack melt could present another problem for the state: mudslides. Of course, it is still too early to predict the weather patterns of the summer, but mudslides can create devastation all on their own.

AndNowUKnow will continue to look out for shifting weather and its implications on the growing regions of California, so stay tuned.