National Weather Service Enters High Fire Season Operations For Southern California

The National Weather Service officially entered fire weather high-season operations Monday, launching twice-daily fire weather forecasts for Southern California. The enhanced monitoring comes as the region faces elevated wildfire risks throughout the summer months.

“We do want people to start thinking about our next fire season,” said Rose Schoenfeld, National Weather Service meteorologist. “It’s important the public start thinking about what they need to do to prepare their homes, their family, their go bags, learn evacuation routes and sign up to get emergency notifications.”

The stepped-up operations provide fire suppression agencies and emergency managers with more frequent updates on critical weather conditions. Fire weather forecasts help identify fire-prone weather conditions and are produced by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group within the National Weather Service.

Southern California faces challenging conditions this summer. The region continues experiencing severe to exceptional drought, especially across the South Coast and Colorado Desert. Fire weather danger will increase in the summer, when Southern California typically sees scant rainfall and high temperatures.

The National Interagency Fire Center predicts above-normal fire potential for Southern California and Southern Nevada in June. Weather patterns indicate an increased likelihood of above-normal significant fire potential, projected to persist from late spring into summer as vegetation dries and becomes increasingly flammable.

The announcement coincides with Santa Barbara County Fire Department’s Monday press conference officially declaring the start of the 2025 High Fire Season. The designation indicates increased wildfire danger and triggers greater preparedness across local fire agencies.

With the last heavy regional rain event having taken place in March and weather starting to heat up, vegetation is drying out and creating fuel beds for fires. The National Weather Service issues fire weather forecasts twice daily, or more if needed, to support emergency response operations.