Wet weather helps decrease fire danger risk
MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif., (KION-TV)- The Central Coast received several drops of rain overnight and is expected to get more in the next few days.
Gray clouds hung over Monterey County Thursday.
Megan Rodriguez, a longtime resident of Salinas, is welcoming the rain.
“It's nice to the see mountain turning back to green because we really need that,” said Rodriguez.
Two years ago, the River Fire forced her and her family to evacuate for five days.
“It was very scary. We woke up to the sound of thunderstorms,” said Rodriquez. “We knew something was going to happen. We heard all the fire engines and we knew something was wrong.”
Yet, there are more benefits to this rain than any threat. With rain hitting the ground, there is less chance for a fire to start.
“Getting some rain and some wet weather helps with bringing fuel moistures up,” said Assistant Chief Marc DiTullio with CAL FIRE’S North Division Operations. “The water goes into the soil and the vegetation is able to suck that water up.”
But Rodriguez said the rain will also bring some much-needed help to the farms in the area. While Everyone agrees any rain is better than none, more is needed.
“The more rain that we can get the better,” said DiTullio. “What kind of helps for wildland fires is if we get short amount of rain, but a long duration.”
CAL FIRE said while the wet weather will help push back the start of fire season, the rain the area’s been seeing won’t have a long-lasting impact on the upcoming season.
