Wildfire managers, state agencies, and fire weather forecasters are sounding alarms about the 2026 fire season in Washington state, with several indicators pointing to the potential for a historically active summer. A combination of record-low snowpack, drought, early melt-out, and warm temperatures has set the stage for dangerous fire conditions well ahead of the traditional fire season calendar.

Snowpack and Drought

Washington Governor Bob Ferguson declared a statewide drought on April 8, 2026, citing the widespread failure of winter snowpack to develop. According to Drought.gov, snow drought is currently widespread across Washington due to unseasonably warm winter temperatures that brought rain instead of snow to the mountains. Snowpack across the state remains far below normal, and melt-out has occurred approximately one month earlier than typical.

The Climate Prediction Center is forecasting below-normal precipitation for the Northwest through May and June, meaning there is little chance of significant natural moisture recharge before summer heat arrives in earnest.

The NIFC seasonal outlook notes that while Washington Cascades snowpack stands at 40–80% of normal, much of the remaining snow sits at elevations above 6,000 to 8,000 feet — offering limited moisture benefit to lower-elevation fuels where fires typically start and spread.

"Burning Longer, Moving Faster"

The U.S. Forest Service issued a statement this week warning that "Wildfires are burning longer, moving faster, and behaving less predictably than they did even a decade ago." Deputy Chief Sarah Fisher, head of Fire and Aviation Management for the Forest Service, acknowledged the difficult outlook: "All of our predictive models point to a challenging summer. But we have an incredible workforce and an interagency system built to adapt and meet challenges head-on."

Riva Duncan, president of Grassroots Wildland Firefighters and a retired USFS fire manager, noted that historically fire-safe parts of the state are no longer immune: "In Western Washington, you're seeing wildfires now where there weren't any before." The Bear Gulch Fire in the Olympic National Forest burned more than 20,000 acres in 2025, the largest in that area since the Great Forks Fire in 1951.

Resource Ramping and Preparedness

Washington DNR and USFS fire managers are ramping up staffing and resource pre-positioning ahead of what they expect to be an early start to significant fire activity. The Gifford Pinchot National Forest is continuing spring prescribed burn operations — a critical tool for reducing heavy fuel loads — while field units prepare equipment and update evacuation plans in coordination with county emergency managers.

What Residents Should Do Now

  • Create defensible space of at least 30 feet around all structures
  • Clear gutters, decks, and roofs of debris and pine needles
  • Review and practice your household evacuation plan
  • Sign up for county emergency alerts through your local government
  • Know your evacuation zone level (Ready, Set, Go!) before an emergency occurs

Washington residents can find their evacuation zone and sign up for emergency alerts at AlertWA.gov.