It really creates a scenario that you could easily have very rapidly moving fires in those fine fuels that carry into the larger fuels (trees).

What we're seeing is a rapid cooling over the Pacific. I don't really see this pattern changing.

It's shaping up to be similar to other years in which we've had some severe fires. This is worse than 2000. That's when we had Los Alamos.

We'll have some storms here and there, but we expect above normal temperatures, below normal precipitation right up until we get our summer thunderstorm season.

The state is primed, and, wow, it's like a loaded gun. Unless something unforeseen happens and we have a wet spring, things don't look good. I would love to see us wrong about all this.

It hurt to lose Amber, but we've had others step up and play well. We've still got a deep bench.