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The last significant fall fire season in Virginia occurred during drought conditions in 2001. That year, the agency fought 995 wildfires that burned nearly 11,000 acres across the state. At the height of that fire season, the drought index was in the 200 to 500 range (2 to 5 inches of rainfall needed to saturate the ground), depending upon the location in the state.
Ibday, five of the six regions of Virginia are well beyond 600. Most of the Commonwealth is running a 30-day rain deficit, and a large portion of southeastern Virginia is experiencing a 90-day rain deficit. And weather forecasters aren’t predicting any significant rainfall anytime soon.
Fall fire season in Virginia runs from October 15th through November 30th each year. “It’s quite likely that fall fire season will start earlier and end later this year,” said Miller. “If conditions don’t improve, we could be in for a rough fire season in Virginia.”
Fred Turck, VDOF fire preI—-
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92.2%