J. Mark Kaib. Climate and fire forecasts will be presented at the conference Wednesday morning.
Officials are particularly concerned about potential fire hazards in the northwestern United States.
Nev. If the dry weather continues into the spring, it may worsen California's power shortage, Brown said. Reduced streamflows could decrease the availability of hydroelectric power, while the smoke produced by large wildfires could force the shutdown of nearby powerlines. Dry conditions are also occurring across much of Montana and Idaho, including areas heavily burned during last year's wildfire season. Participants at last February's fire and climate workshop predicted extreme fire danger for the Southwest's 2000 wildfire season. An overview of the project will be presented at the workshop on Friday.