Eleven other states will rank within the dry-third portion of the distribution, most in the southeastern portion of the country. At the peak of the national drought, hundreds of wildfires were burning across several western states, with the greatest concentration occuring in Idaho and western Montana. There is a complex relationship between wildfires and climate variables. The severity of a wildfire season is affected by such things as soil moisture content, vegetation density, moisture content of live vegetation, wind speed, relative humidity, extended periods of abnormally hot temperatures, below-normal rainfall, and the incidence of lightning producing thunderstorms. The Palmer Z Index is used as a measure of short-term moisture shortages.
Research suggests that it is a useful indicator of fire potential.
Much of the western fire region was persistently dry since October 1999. At the peak of the drought, Georgia farmers stopped planting small grains, Alabama Power reservoirs dropped to record low levels, many streams in the region experienced record low flows, and cities imposed water restrictions. Carrollton, Georgia declared a state of emergency due to scarce water supplies. July-September 2000 ranked as the driest such period in the last 106 years, easily surpassing the drought years of the 1950's. Many stations set new low precipitation records, including all-time records for most consecutive days with no rain.